


Lil Chorus for the Dying

by Speary



Series: A Song for Us [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Angst, Destiel - Freeform, Drama, F/M, Kidnapping, Law Enforcement!Dean, M/M, Mystery, Romance, Slow Burn, attorney!Cas, attorney!Sam
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-12
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-13 10:55:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5704984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Speary/pseuds/Speary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Cas loved each other, but it still didn't keep them safe or even together. With Cas struggling after the fall and Dean trying to save Lil, there is little to convince them that they can find peace again. Their song remains the same, but, despite that, they each still have hope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wake Up!

**Author's Note:**

> This will be the final part to the Song for Us series. It has been hard convincing myself that posting needed to start. I suppose that posting meant that this would be ending. I have to admit that I was and am not quite ready for that. 
> 
> I wrote a timestamp in Lil's perspective about a week ago. I now believe that that installment really is rather essential for the story. I suppose you can skip it, but it adds details that matter. Lastly, thank you all for coming to this story with such enthusiasm back in the early days when it was supposed to just be a tiny one-shot. 300k later and that one-shot has gone a whole other way. Thanks for making it happen with your encouragement. 
> 
> Postings will happen on Tuesdays. See you next week.

Everything was a whirlwind of darkness. The trees around the lake were dark silhouettes to a backdrop of moon soaked water. Cas walked the perimeter with harsh, quick steps. At his side strode a man in a police officer's uniform. The crunch of the gravel beneath their feet was the only sound as they made their way to the other side. Cas glanced over at the man, John. He glanced back. His lips moved, but no words came out. Cas didn't bother with a reply. There was no point. He had relived this scene so many times now. His life was a dream, a cycle of silence set to repeat.

They got to the dock and strode to the end. Soon John would fade away. They both came down to a crouch at the water's edge. John held out his hand over the water and sent little rivulets out and away. Beneath the surface was Dean, for now. He would fade away too, eventually. John was mouthing words to him again. Cas concentrated on them. The wind blew and fall leaves danced into their space in a chorus of oranges and browns that were only visible because the moonlight was strongest near the water. Cas looked down at Dean beneath the water. His eyes were closed as if he were sleeping there. He was sure that he could touch him if he just reached out to him.

It was time now for the change. John stood up speaking the same words again with no sound. Then he turned into deep dark smoke and curled off on the next gust of wind. The smoke was not gone for long. Another stream of it whirled into the space in front of him. This time it was red and reminded Cas of fire. It formed a column and then became solid. It was form in the void that was mostly just darkness all around them. It never ceased to shock him that the man before him was Crowley. He stepped back every time, and Crowley inevitably would grip his arm and keep him from toppling over into the water.

He spoke, and he had a voice that Cas could hear. "Don't fall in, Cas." Crowley's face drew close to his and his teeth seemed to be larger somehow, like he was a wolf intent on devouring Cas in a single gulp.

Cas shook his arm free. "So what will it be this time? You gonna tell me that the bad guys are getting away, and that I need to wake up?"

"Hasn't worked before, so maybe I should sing a different tune. You know, I think we need a song for just us, don't you?" Crowley managed to extend his smile even wider. It seemed unnatural. "You and I would make a great pair, Cas, old boy."

"What do you want?" Cas was impatient even in dreams with this type of dithering. "Spit it out and fade away. I'm done with you."

"I didn't know what would happen to you way back then. I couldn't know, you see. I just knew that you were getting in over your head after you had managed to," he paused a moment then continued with a chuckle, "get in over your head. M was supposed to keep things in check. She was supposed to keep things going right, but sometimes plans change. Sometimes people do unexpected things. I never could have known that A and Al would become a problem. I could never have known that Lil would be taken." Crowley looked down at Dean in the water and Cas moved down to block him from Dean. Somehow Crowley made him feel uneasy here in a way that John did not. He had more reason to hate John, but the fact that he was plenty dead, seemed to make him seem like less of a threat. Crowley felt real. Crowley felt dangerous. Yet he could not be dangerous, not here.

"Are you looking for absolution or something?" Cas gave him a piercing glare, moonlight glinting off of his eyes. "'Cause you and I both know that you won't be getting it from me. Now back away from Dean." Cas stood in front of him, and Crowley got up. He seemed to puff out his chest as he stood just in front of Cas.

"I was just going to suggest that you wake up, that you see the world, that you take a little howl at the moon. Live a little Cas." He tipped his head back and did indeed howl at the moon while Cas stared at him from too close. It all seemed familiar somehow, like a story that he had been told. Dean had talked once of an unusual conversation that he had had with Crowley. "The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to save her." He pointed down at the water and Dean was gone. In his place was Lil. Her golden blonde hair spread out around her head like a halo. She was glowing beneath the surface. She seemed to be sleeping just like Dean had been before.

This was the part that he always struggled with, the part that would make his heart race. She opened her eyes and seemed to fight to get her head above water. He moved to her, dropping down to his knees. "Lil. I'm coming." Crowley's hands were on him, holding him back. He fought the grip, but he couldn't break free. He never seemed to be strong enough.

"She needs to be saved. Time is running out."

"You let me go. Let me go!" Cas struggled harder as Lil thrashed around.

"So wake up. Wake up, Cas!" Crowley was yelling in his ear. The grip on his arms grew stronger then it turned to smoke.

He practically fell into the water. He reached for Lil. He couldn't pull her out. It was as though reaching for her made her slip farther beneath the surface. Then a familiar voice spoke near his ear. "I've got you Cas. Dip down and get her. Get our girl." He turned back to see Dean holding him so that he could pull him back up. Cas dipped into the water and got a hold on Lil. He pulled her up onto the dock. She choked out water onto the dock and rolled into Cas' arms with a sob.

"I'm here baby. I'm here. Nobody's gonna ever take you from me again. I promise. I've got you. I've got you." He rocked her back and forth. Dean curled up at his back and pulled him to his chest and the three of them held each other there on the dock, rocking and cooing out words of comfort in the dark.

Quiet like a whisper Dean said, "You have to wake up. Wake up, Cas." He turned to Dean and saw the earnestness in his eyes. "You can't save her if you stay like this. You can't save me either." Dean pressed a kiss to Cas' temple. "Save us. Wake up." Cas pressed in closer to Dean, still holding Lil in his arms. "Please wake up, Cas."

Cas opened his mouth and the word "okay" slipped out on the breeze. It would whirl around them echo back from the hills, it would pair with itself and become a chorus of okays. Cas closed his eyes and concentrated on the world beyond this place. He tried to pick up the low hum of something familiar. He endeavored to indeed wake up.

* * *

 

Dean sat in the Igreja Matriz. A small choir was singing at the front of the church. There was a funeral for someone that he did not know. The casket was open at the end of the aisle. A priest stood off to the side focused on the podium in front of him. Dean followed the actions of the congregation. They stood in unison, and Dean was standing just after them. The service was a mystery, and Dean was doing his best to keep up.

There was noise at the end of the aisle. A large Samoan man made his way toward him, stepping around the parishioners that stood between the end of the row and Dean. Dean tipped his head to the side to watch the man's progress. He certainly wasn't subtle. _How is it possible that in all of Brazil, or even Argentina, Gabe managed to find someone to help me, and that someone is Samoan?_ The man wedged himself right next to Dean, bracing his arms on the pew in front of him. He had arranged to meet this man here, in a public place rather than in his apartment. It didn't matter that Gabe had recommended him, or that he would be trusting him rather extensively in the weeks to come. What mattered to him now was seeing this man first in a neutral place, a place that felt safe.

He glanced at Dean and then turned his attention to the front of the church. The people in their row turned their attention back to the front of the church as well. "You are Dean?" It was barely a question. It was also too loud for the quiet of their space at the back of the church.

Dean tipped his head to him again. He raised an eyebrow as if to question yet again Gabe's choices. "Yes." His answer was quiet. "You are Elisara."

"Eli. Call me Eli." He smiled as he said it, a big toothy grin that seemed to stretch over the entirety of his face. His eyes big and brown were wide open, vast as all the earth. "Gabe told me that you needed some muscle and a guide. I am that."

Dean turned his attention back to the front of the church with a nod. They wouldn't be able to leave yet without drawing attention. The choir's song increased in volume. Dean smiled and turned to Eli again. "We'll leave after the song."

Eli was still smiling as he said, "Sure thing, boss."

They stared off into the distance. The song played out. The song died in one of those sudden abrupt ends that sometimes happen. Dean exited the row, making his way to the back of the church. Eli followed him. They went out into the empty street in front of the church. It was Saturday, but nearly everyday was like this. Some said that it would improve in August, with the children returning to the school. For now they played, but not near the church and not near the complex that Dean had been calling home.

Dean had been living in Candido Godoi for months. It was like living in a vast ghost town. There were plenty of people to be sure, but there was just something about the place that felt empty to him. Maybe it is just me. Dean wondered about that time and again. He had landed in the dead of night. Gabe had chosen a small airstrip some miles from the town. He paid off the soldiers that came to the plane to inspect it and they left without a backwards glance.

Gabe had been his one point of contact back in the states. He didn't want to involve Sam or anyone else. He was fully aware though that Gabe would tell Sam things. They were friends after all. The long flight had filled his head with too much worry. He had told himself that after all was said and done, that he would leave them all, that he would make sure to never be a burden to them again. Once Gabe had left though something shifted for him. Dean thought about what he was fighting for and the long string of days that already existed in his life, days that were empty and pointless. He wanted to get Lil back, and he wanted to find a way to not give up.

Now with time to think, and a steady stream of information coming to him from Gabe, Dean spent much of his time thinking about not just saving Lil, but also about Cas. He knew that Cas had been moved to his parent's place in Oregon. He knew that he had not yet regained consciousness. With each month that passed, Dean felt more and more hopeless where Cas was concerned. He had thought that he would arrive in Brazil and that he would storm whatever building Mirov was in, guns blazing. He had thought that he would retrieve Lil and fly off to Cas all in a heartbeat. He had thought that all of this action would be enough to draw Cas back to them all, put things right again. The rescue efforts had proven much more difficult though.

Now he was standing in the street with Eli the giant and no clue what to do next. He tipped his head toward his temporary apartment complex and the two of them fell into step side by side. Dean cast a couple of glances Eli's way as they walked. He didn't know what to say yet, and the awkwardness of it was dragging out with each thump of their footsteps. Eli finally spoke, his voice higher in pitch than his form seemed to warn. "You're smaller than I anticipated."

This gave Dean pause. In fact, he almost tripped over his next step. "Huh?"

Eli watched him as they kept moving on. "Yeah, Gabe described you as, well, kinda big. Made you seem like a tough guy." Eli looked back to the road ahead. "You're just smaller is all. Kinda average."

"Wow, Eli. You really know how to throw down the compliments." Dean laughed a little with that. They kept walking.

"Well, I was being generous." Dean laughed again. Eli continued, "Pretty sure my sister could take you down without breaking a sweat."

"Good to know. If you don't work out, I'll give her a call."

Eli scowled a little at that suggestion. "I'll work out just fine. Rest of my family doesn't do this sort of thing."

"What? Mercenary work?"

"Yeah, that. I don't either, to be honest. Gabe said there was a kid though, and I have a bit of a soft spot for the little ones." They stopped at the corner. "I'm retired again when this job is done."

Dean heard a low growl of noise coming from Eli. "You hungry?"

"A bit. Gabe said you'd be taking care of living expenses and I'm pretty sure that includes food." The smile was back, like they were old chums and not two guys gearing up for a raid on a rather secure compound owned by one of the most well armed men in the country.

"Well, let's get you some food first then. My place is not exactly hospitable." Dean directed him down a side street. There was a small building that sold quick meals on tables set outside. The place looked more like a house than a restaurant, but it was close, so it was often Dean's place of choice.

They sat outside and a woman brought them a couple of plates of food. There was a bunch of eggs and some root vegetables that Dean had thought were potatoes the first time that he had eaten there. Turned out that they were something called yuca or cassava. Hardly mattered to Dean as it was fried and a little greasy, thus reminding him a bit of home. He picked one of the yuca up and popped it into his mouth. It was rather hot so he blew air around the thing in his mouth that was partially open.

"So tell me what the deal is. Gabe gave me some information, but it was all a little vague." Eli began scooping up big forkfuls of food and was likely going to need a second plate to add to his first.

"There was a kidnapping. My…" Dean paused not sure how to describe Cas or Lil to this virtual stranger. "Lil is family in all of the ways that really matter, we'll just leave it like that. She and her father were living in hiding back in the states. While I was away, they were attacked, and Lil was kidnapped by her grandfather." Dean took a break to scoop up a forkful of eggs.

"Yeah, Gabe told me that much. He told me that the kid's father was Cas Novak."

"He is." Dean set down his fork for a moment. "You said that like you know him."

Eli actually paused in his voracious eating. "I met him, yeah."

When he seemed like he wouldn't elaborate, Dean picked up his fork and waved it about between them. "And…"

"And, I did a job for him. Gabe set it up. It was a long time ago. Years."

"You got something better to do right now or something? Spill." Dean was stabbing at his eggs now, but he didn't eat them.

Eli shoveled the last bit of eggs onto his fork and into his mouth. He looked over at Dean's plate. Dean pushed it over to him. "Thanks. Well, it wasn't anything important, just a missing person case. Guy named Chuck or Charles or something, if you want to know. You trying to check my credentials here? Gabe'll vouch for me."

"No, it's not that. It's that I'm curious." Dean leaned back. He wasn't relaxed. Every muscle was tight. He was ready to snap at any moment. "Cas is…" He paused, still not certain how much to share. "Cas is important."

"Yeah, Gabe told me." Eli was nearly done with Dean's plate too. Feeding him might be quite expensive. "He's your boyfriend." Eli looked up and then continued. "The Chuck guy was his boyfriend too. He took off after he got out of jail. Cas hired me to find him, make sure he was okay. Gabe gave me an extra mission."

Dean schooled his voice so he wouldn't sound too eager. "What was that, Gabe's mission?"

"He wanted me to be sure to tell Cas exactly what I saw, with pictures if possible."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Cas was apparently having a hard time getting over the guy. Near as I could tell he was a dick. He could have broken things off with Cas, but instead he just took off and didn't engage. He could have talked to him, given him closure, but he didn't. He had a guy he was shacking up with out in...I don't remember the town. Tacoma maybe."

"Hmm, you showed Cas some pictures of Chuck and the guy I take it?"

"Yeah, Gabe said it was the right thing to do. I'm not so sure. I mean he took it well, and well, he obviously moved on." Eli motioned at Dean with his fork.

"Yes, he did." He let Eli finish his meal before he asked him anything else. He couldn't imagine someone moving on from Cas. He thought back on the time he spent in the city once Cas had left him. He thought about the time he spent sinking into darkness. There had been Anna, and he cared about her, but neither of them had felt any love for each other. They had each been filling a giant Cas shaped hole in their collective existences.

When they finished eating Dean paid their bills, and they made their way to Dean's apartment. Eating with Eli had convinced Dean that the man might be okay if not a little strange. "You have weapons?" Eli asked as they entered the apartment.

"Some, nothing to brag about."

"Gabe told me that I might be acquiring weapons for you." They moved into the room and Dean motioned to the dining room table by the window. It was covered in maps and piles of papers covered in notes.

"A few might be nice, but we will not likely be successful if we plan to go in guns blazing." Dean angled the map so that Eli could see it better. He pointed down at a space that he had circled. "This here is the compound. I've gone clear up to the gates. Took some sneakiness on my part, but I've seen what we'd be up against. We can't carry enough firepower to storm that place."

"Got pictures?"

"Yeah." Dean moved some of the notes aside and unearthed some pictures. "This one here is of the southern end of the compound. The gate has four guards on it at all times." He shuffled another photo to the top and said, "This is the southeastern corner of the compound wall. Notice the guard there." Dean showed more photos of the compound wall and the guards. "They are on every corner. That doesn't even cover the ones that are randomly scattered around the grounds inside."

Eli took each photo and scrutinized them. He stopped on one that showed a car leaving the compound. "Does she ever leave?"

"Not yet. I keep thinking that one day she will."

"Well, that would be ideal. I mean, we would be better off if she was on the outside. We could easily get her if…"

"You don't think I've thought of that? I haven't just been sitting around twiddling my thumbs here." The frustration of months was bubbling over for no other reason than that it needed to do just that.

Eli looked at Dean past a squint. "Wasn't saying you hadn't. Obviously you've been busy." Eli slapped the photos against his hand for emphasis. "We need to try to get someone on the inside, that can report out. We need to know what is happening in there, or at least get the lay of the land in there."

"I do know one useful thing." Dean pulled out one final photo. This one was of a balcony that stretched to the edge of the eastern corner of the house. "This is her room." He handed the photo to Eli. "That's her." Eli held the photo up close. Lil's tiny blonde head peeked out over the balcony railing. She was holding something that created a bright flash of light where her hand was.

"What's in her hand?"

"That is the best part. That right there is my girl. She is using a mirror to communicate with me." Dean was smiling about that like he had that day out in the trees when he spotted her.

"She know it was you she was communicating with?"

"I doubt it. How could she? I think she has hope though, and she knows that it's someone that wants to help her." Dean drummed at the table, a nervous gesture. "I'd like to think that she believes that it's Cas. I don't like thinking that after all of this time that she's sitting in there feeling abandoned."

"I'm gonna get someone in the house. Maybe they'll hire a gardener or a housekeeper that we can use." Eli pulled out his phone and tapped through some app. "The cell service here is for shit." He moved to the door then came back to Dean's side. "Give me $500 so I can get us some weapons and a prospective housekeeper for the Mirovs."

Dean stalked over to his duffle bag and pulled out a rather large stack of bills. "This should be more than you need."

"I'll say. That's more than $500."

"I've seen you eat. You'll need it." Dean laughed a slight laugh.

"I'll be back in two days." Eli moved out the door with the wad of cash tucked into his pants pocket. He turned back to Dean as he was leaving. "Don't make any moves without me."

"I'll wait. Patience is my middle name."

"Gabe never said that about you." This caused Dean to laugh again. It felt good, but it died immediately.

"Thanks, man." Eli slipped out the door and closed it. Dean moved off to the window and stared at the distant land. There was so much green, stretching out for miles and miles. There was no good reason for this town to be here. There was no good reason for Mirov's place to be here, just a few miles away. Dean looked down from the window at the nearly empty street. There were people here, sure, but it felt like it was off.

The few things that Dean had managed to pull up about the town when he got on a reliable Internet connection included a whole two articles of any consequence. The most disturbing came from an article that called the town, "a town of twins." At first when Dean walked through the streets of Candido Godoi he was struck by the many times that he passed pairs of matching faces. Everyone seemed to be a twin. It seemed apt that A and Al had spent their formative years in such a place.

It took him some weeks to find a routine. When Gabe had dropped him off at the airstrip, he had felt a moment of utter confusion. Gabe had pulled him into a hug and said, "I want you to stay in touch, Dean. If you don't, I'll fly back down here and drag your ass back to the states." Dean had laughed at him.

"I'll likely be ready to come home before you even get back," Dean had joked. The humor wasn't present for long though.

Gabe looked at him like he was about to cry, which was all kinds of uncomfortable. "Don't make this weird." Dean had shuffled away from him a little. "I expect you to keep an eye on Cas for me. If he wakes up…"

"When he wakes up," Gabe interrupted.

"When he wakes up, make him believe that I will be home soon. Make sure he knows that I'm gonna get Lil back. Don't tell him where we are though. He'll try to come down here. He'll try to take care of this himself. I can't have him risking his life anymore. Got it."

Gabe had nodded his agreement then, and Dean had been left wondering if Gabe would be able to keep his end of the bargain once Cas woke up and began pestering him for information. "You'll keep in touch then?"

"I will. I want to believe that I won't involve you in this, but I know me. I'll go crazy if I don't know how he is, how Sam is too. I'll need to know things."

"I'll keep watch over them both. Promise." Gabe gave him a final clap to the shoulder and then handed him the extra duffle bag. He had filled it with more cash than Dean had thought necessary. Gabe had said that Cas would want him to have it. It was a bit of Cas' savings, but, Gabe assured him, not much of it. It took him telling Dean that the money should be used to bring Lil home, and that Cas wouldn't begrudge that one bit.

Now Dean sat at the window, looking out over the town that had been his home for months now. He hoped that it wouldn't be his home for much longer. Eli sounded confident. It was the kind of confidence that was infectious. It was the kind of confidence that made Dean feel like maybe they had a shot.

* * *

 

Lil had planned and plotted as best she could. She was almost seven years old now, six and three quarters. Mr. Hernandez, her tutor, said that she would wrap up her first year of curriculum by the end of the month, then she would get a short break. Her plotting and planning had been hindered by the fact that she did not know when the school season started and stopped. Back home she could count down the days to summer, even noting it with the stark change to the seasons. When she was taken from home, it had been winter still. It was February or at least nearly so but not Valentine's Day. They hadn't yet made the cards.

The first months felt like summer or at least spring here. It was hotter than home during some of the months. The rains when they came were the worst, making everything a muddy soup. Nanna B had mentioned her loneliness to Mirov. The information that Nanna B gave to him shifted their usual breakfast routine a little. Their normal routine involved her eating in silence, him trying to coax words from her, and then the inevitable abrupt departure of each of them from the room. That day had been different though. It had to be if she wanted her plan to work.

"Nanna B told me that you want to go to school." Her grandfather barely looked up from his meal, but the little glance that she took in from him was enough.

She decided to speak. "I miss school."

Mirov looked at her as if he was shocked by the sound of her. She had spoken the other day, telling him that she wanted her dad. He had countered by telling her that her father was dead, that he was her only family now. Lil knew better than to accept that though. She knew that sometimes family wasn't blood. Family was something else entirely. Dean was family too, and so were Sam and Jess. She felt certain that she had family out there, because they were out there missing her.

Mirov's hand drummed at the table, then he picked up a piece of toast and slowly spread butter on it. "It would be pointless to send you to school now. It's May. Come August though, when the new term begins, I'll consider it. There is a good school not far from here. I'll still retain Mr. Hernandez in case you need homework help or added instruction."

Lil didn't know what to say. She counted off the months in her head. It's May, so nearly three more months. Her grandfather watched her like he was waiting for a reaction. She schooled her expression and said, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. August is a ways off. I have much that will need to be worked out before going to school can be a reality." He took a bite of his toast, still watching her. "I'll need to appoint a security detail to you that can hover around the school while you are there." Lil must have let her expression fall because Mirov added, "I have many enemies. I told you before that you are safe here with me. I intend to continue making that statement a truth. You are safe because I do a lot to ensure safety for you." He waved his fork at the room around them. "You see all the men with guns, the cameras, the wall, and you are probably a little scared of those things. I see them and know that they are all there to protect what is mine. You are my only granddaughter, and there is nothing in this world that is more valuable to me than you."

Lil had looked at him during this whole speech. Sometimes she thought that he did love her. In moments like this one she was certain of it, but she also knew that, like family, love had different forms to it too. She got up then and walked over to him. She stood at his side and said, "Thank you." Then she reached out to him and hugged him. It was an awkward sideways hug. Mirov stiffened at first, then he melted into it a little, reaching up one hand to pat her arm.

She moved back to her seat and continued eating her food. Mirov watched her, a little more light dancing in his eyes than before.

That had been over a month ago. Now it was too hot July and she was staring out at the vast stretches of land that surrounded her home. She had her mirror as she looked out into the trees just beyond the gate. The familiar flash of light was not there today. It had been there with some regularity after the first instance. She flashed a little light at the guards below. They had grown use to her by now and merely scowled at her a little. Some of them greeted the act with smiles and waves in her direction.

She smiled back, happy to have gotten them use to her actions so easily. It had been a few days since the light had flashed out from the trees. She was wondering what was keeping it away this time. It had become predictable. She could count down to it's arrival, and it had given her a resurgence of hope that someone out there was trying to help her. And now there was just one more month to wait, just one more month and she would see the other side of the wall.


	2. A New Day Has Begun

Months. He still couldn't deal with it. Months of struggling with the most mundane of tasks. Months of limited information. Months of feeling confined to a bed in his childhood home. Months of worry and regret. Months.

His daily existence felt like every painful thing, all experienced at once. At first, even breathing was a struggle. The fall had damaged him. He was lucky to be alive, they kept saying. They also kept saying that he'd get back to 100% too, but the more time passed, the more he doubted them. Cas looked off out the window that was sending a bright rectangle of sunlight into the room. It was 7:00 am and his mother would be in to check on him soon. Naomi was, if nothing else, a woman on a mission. A mission that involved tight schedules and no time for anything that she considered frivolous.

The afternoons were consumed by physical therapy with Jacob. He at least provided him with some information. He understood, and even if he didn't, he was helping Cas get more mobility. Cas felt like he was making progress most days. He could now walk to the bathroom without falling, but he needed his cane.

Still it had been months. When he had first woken up in the hospital, it had been barely different from the dreams. Everything was dark. He couldn't swallow or breath right. There was some sort of tube running down his throat. Then there was a rush of activity, too bright lights blinding him, and the noise of activity as they all began working on him.

That was months ago, and now he was impatient and desperate. Naomi had removed the phones from his room after his first attempts to call Sam and Gabe. He only got their voice mails. He could hear her now, moving down the hall with his breakfast tray. He was tired of this room, and he was tired of the limits. Each morning with her devolved into an argument. This one would be no different.

"Morning, Cas." She moved into the room with practiced grace, balancing the tray on one hand as she moved aside items on the little bedside table. She set everything down and pulled a chair over, just like she always did. After settling in, she lifted the tray again and set it on Cas' lap. Her look was soft at first, like always. Her eyes spoke kindness that her actions did not seem to repeat. He couldn't understand why she was limiting his contacts with the outside world. She said it was for the best. He only responded with inevitable anger.

She sat and waited for him to begin eating. He did. He pulled the tray over and let the silence get filled with his efforts. Soon enough, he'd be able to walk out of his own accord. Until then, he would tolerate her and her efforts. He had gone a week without speaking with her. He had spent more time yelling at her. She always remained calm, like this was normal.

He hadn't been to see her in years. It had never been because he didn't care about her or the rest of his family. It had been, as he had told Dean, because his family was often a bit cold or indifferent. They worked and muddled through whatever work or life threw at them, but they never seemed to take the time needed to genuinely look after anyone's mental well-being. Caring about that mattered. When he had been at his lowest, none of them knew. For all he knew they just spent their time working and arguing with each other about work. The fighting was the worst, but feeling like none of them truly cared was pretty bad too. His father had yet to even show himself. _Where was he even?_ Cas thought, not for the first time. _You'd think the near death of your son would draw you back from Europe or South America or wherever the hell he was these days._

Naomi interrupted his thoughts by reaching down and picking up a slice of toast off of his tray. She spread some butter and jam on it and ate it with delicate bites. Cas watched her, the grey hair at her temples gave her an even harsher look in this light. "Will this be another one of your silent spells?" she asked after she finished the last bite of the toast.

"Hardly see the point in talking." Cas finished off a final bite of eggs after that and let the fork fall back to the tray with a clatter.

"I know you're angry with me. I thought that today we might try something different." Naomi removed the tray from Cas' lap and set it back on the table.

"Are you going to let me call Sam or Gabe?" For some reason he had not tried Dean first. Now, he wished that he had. _Dean would have answered._ At the time, he had not thought that his calls would be limited to just two. He was also worried about the fact that Dean wasn't there. He had been in the bank. Cas had worried that he too had been injured. Somehow, in his head, it seemed easier to hear about it from his friends. Now he wondered if Dean even knew where he was, if he was worried about him, and if he even knew he was alive.

"I don't see why you can't just focus on getting better. From where I sit, all of them have done nothing good for you. Knowing them has nearly gotten you killed." She stopped abruptly.

"So we aren't trying anything different are we? Guess it's just gonna be you telling me that the people I love don't matter. I need to find out about my daughter."

"I told you that your friends are taking care of finding the little girl."

"My daughter," he emphasized again, because Naomi seemed ever reluctant to acknowledge the title.

"Like I said before, I'd like to try something different." She folded her hands in her lap and stared at him a moment before continuing. "It's been five years, Cas. Five years since you came home. And in that time, you've managed to go through so much. You took in a child, you met someone, you went into hiding." She let out a sigh and added, "You may not believe me, but I worried about you. I am worried about you now."

"Fine. We'll go down your different path then. So you say you are worried and that you have worried. How is it that all of this worrying never caused a visit or a phone call of more than a few minutes? Birthdays and holidays, mother. That has been our communication for the last five years." He wasn't sure why it mattered, but he vented anyway.

"I use to make you soup when you were a child, and then we would walk the vineyards in the afternoons." Cas took in the abrupt change of path as she pointed off at the window. Beyond it were the vineyards, stretching out over the rolling hills. They would still be vibrant and green under the early morning sun. He use to love the verdant yellows and oranges that the leaves would turn in the autumn. Naomi reached out to him then retreated. "The last five years have been tough for me too. I failed you as a mother. I'm sorry."

 _This was different._ "What happened?" He sat up more. He hadn't imagined that anything had been any different here than it had been before.

"Your father left some time ago, for work. He bought up land in several overseas locations. His trips to each were growing longer and longer. I haven't spoken with him in months. Your brothers had a bit of a dispute over the way that we were running the winery. It escalated. Your father has never been good at conflict."

"So he just up and left? That doesn't even make sense." Cas crossed his arms over his chest and cast a glance at the ceiling in frustration.

"I know. I may have angered him too. I took Michael's side, and your father said that made it worse. We fought over stupid things. Then he got tired of fighting, I guess, and then he was gone." She looked away to the window, as if eye contact would make it hurt worse.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Years."

"You never said a word about it." Cas watched her close her eyes as she turned back to him. "You should have told me."

"Why?" She opened her eyes. "You left a long time ago. What could you do except be just as hurt as I was." Her head dipped down. "It didn't make sense, why he would leave, where he would go. I couldn't drag you into this."

"You should have. I could have talked with him, reasoned with him."

Naomi looked at him, really looked at him. "You honestly think that you could have done more than me, his wife? Seriously, Cas. Your father and I have been together for forty years. I know him better than anyone. If I couldn't get through to him, I doubt you could." Her tone took on a hint of irritation that she usually pushed down. "Maybe I've been wrong though. You know a thing or two about running away."

"Can you blame me. The fighting. Michael tried to pull me in every time. And don't get me started on Raphael. They don't care about anything but their own self-interests. I loved you, but the fighting was killing me. Then there was Hannah..." He stopped abruptly. They didn't talk about this. They never talked about this.

"You stayed away from all of us after that," Naomi whispered as if afraid to go down this path.

He felt like he was supposed to apologize, but he felt like the current situation wouldn't allow for it. She was preventing him from finding his daughter. "I never intended to cut you out of my life."

"But you did, and there's no going back and fixing that. I could have been better too. I couldn't do much though beyond the grieving. It was easier to just not talk about it. I didn't want to think about it at all. If I did, I'd feel like I failed her. I did fail her." Cas watched the lone tear break free and run in a slow stream down her cheek. It dripped off her chin to her lap. "Maybe he left because he couldn't take being here always reminded that she wasn't with us anymore. Maybe the fighting just made him remember that she was the one that always made the peace."

"She was always able to see the way things should be. Michael and Raphael never seemed capable of arguing with her. She was the one that made me realize that I needed to do something different with my life. She got me to try law school. She was the one that I told first about my love life. She always understood, and seemed to listen in a way that made everything easier."

"You two were a lot alike." She reached out to him and gave his arm a little squeeze. "Losing her killed me."

He glanced down at her hand and then back up at her. "Is this why you don't want me to call Gabe or Sam?"

"I can't lose you too. I only just got you back." A fresh set of tears fell from her eyes. "There's nothing worse than losing your child, nothing."

"Then you know what I'm feeling now. I need to know what happened to Lil. I need to find her. She's still alive, and she probably thinks I've abandoned her." He leaned toward her. "Please, mom. Let me call them. She needs me."

Naomi shot back out of the chair and held her face in her hands as she rushed out of the room. Cas shouted after her, begged her to see reason. She didn't come back. It all made sense now though. He would just have to get her past the fear, so he could get to Lil.

* * *

She walked the perimeter with Nanna B. Lil had taken her breakfast with her as well, since Mirov was away on business. When he was out, sometimes she would walk with Nanna B. They would pick flowers from the garden to press flat in books that were kept back in her room. She was humming a song as they walked. Lil thought that it sounded familiar.

"What's that song?" Lil asked as she stooped to pick a yellow daisy.

Nanna B held out a basket for her to deposit her flower in. "It's just a bit from Shostakovich." She kept humming. "You like it," she asked a few moments later?

"Yes. My dad use to play it, I think. It's familiar." They stopped at the corner and sat on a small cement bench facing into the center of the yard. It was far from the house. Lil kicked her feet back and forth and watched Nanna B settle in next to her.

"Your grandfather has been looking into your schooling. He has decided to hire on more security for you. Don't be surprised if you see strangers being brought in for interviews." She set the basket onto the ground by her feet. Lil watched her.

"Will I go everyday?"

"You'll go to school Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 to 3:30. It is a longer day than what you had back in America." She looked around the yard a bit then back down at Lil. "I found other information for you. You asked me about your father?"

"Yes."

"Well, I found out some things. He's not dead, at least not really. I mean, your grandfather wasn't lying, but he wasn't answering the question either." Her voice was low like she was afraid of being heard.

Lil reached out to her and gripped her arm. "Is my dad alive?"

"Your biological father is dead, has been for some time. Your dad, the man named Cas Novak, is alive."

"What do you mean _biological father?_ I don't know that word." Lil brought her hand up to her mouth and held it there to keep from speaking before the answer was delivered.

"It means that the man that was your father before you were born, the one your mom got pregnant by, is not alive. From what I understand, you never met him. If I'm upsetting you with this story, please let me know." Nanna B waited a moment, and Lil nodded for her to continue. "Cas, your dad, got hurt. They talked about him in some of the news pieces that I read about the trial and where you came from. I wanted to know more about you after I got hired. I hope you don't mind that I researched you a little."

Lil smiled at her and said, "At least now I get to know that my dad is alive. I'm glad you read about us." Her smile fell a little and she asked, "You said he was hurt?"

"Yes. He was attacked in a bank, and he and the man that attacked him fell from a window. It was a high fall. The most recent article I read said that he had not regained consciousness. He is still alive though. I think that it would have come up if he had died."

Lil knew the answer before she asked it, but she wanted to try anyway. "Can you help me call him? I want to know he's okay."

"No sweety. That is not something that your grandfather would approve of. I also have a great deal of respect for your grandfather and his wishes. He's a good man; although, I fear that you don't see that."

Lil's face scrunched up a little with thought. "He's not a good man. He took me away from my dad and told me he was dead."

"It might help for you to know a bit more about him and a bit more about who your enemies actually are. It might also help you to understand your grandfather. He's one that believes that family is blood. He doesn't believe in this idea that you make your own families from just love and affection. He never once considered your dad to be your dad. So when he told you that your father was dead, he literally meant it." Nanna B looked down at her with sincerity. Her accent was low like a lullaby. Lil felt warmed by it, despite the fact that she had yet to fully forgive her grandfather.

"It's no excuse. He still stole me from the place I wanted to be. I remember my mom was afraid of him too. I don't think that he is good." Lil moved her hands down to the cement bench and held the edges near her legs while she kicked the air in front of her.

"What do you know about your grandfather?" Nanna B asked her question in the still quiet, gentle voice.

"I think that he makes drugs and sells them to people in America. That's not good."

Nanna B just smiled at her. "It's more complicated than that. You know your grandfather didn't want to live here, right?"

"No." She couldn't see why that mattered. He was choosing to live here now.

"Long before you were born, even a little before I was born, your grandfather was made to live here."

"How?"

Nanna B seemed to consider a bit before she answered. "You are young child, but I believe that, like me, you have been forced to grow up fast. Anyone else your age might not understand your grandfather's story, but somehow I think that you will."

"I don't understand."

She smiled at Lil again and said, "Your grandfather made the wrong enemies. A man in the States decided that he needed to get rid of your grandfather, so he made arrangements with the Preto family. He had your grandfather sent here, where the Preto family kept him in captivity for many years."

"Why didn't he escape?" Lil turned a little to face her.

"He couldn't." Nanna B turned a bit more to her as well. "They knew that he had vast stores of knowledge about the making of a new drug. They also knew that the drug was unsafe in the form that it was in at the time. They wanted your grandfather to work on tempering the drug, so that it could be taken with fewer side effects."

"I don't understand."

"The Preto family ran drugs throughout the world, mostly methamphetamines and more casual drugs. The man that sent your grandfather here is the same man that is on trial, Ezra Brady. He sent your grandfather here with the promise that he could make a drug for the Pretos that would make them all so much more money. Of course they jumped at the opportunity to have your grandfather under their thumbs."

Lil interrupted her, "Why didn't he just say no? He didn't have to make the drugs for them."

Nanna B looked sad for a moment. "He couldn't say no. They knew how to hurt him in a way that could make him do anything." Lil had a hard time imagining anything that could hurt Mirov. "Your mother was practically a baby then, and your grandmother couldn't protect her against such powerful men. Periodically, your grandfather would get to see pictures of her growing up."

"At least he knew she was alive," Lil reasoned as she thought about her own dad.

"Well, that wasn't the purpose. They showed him the pictures so that he would know just how close to her they were. If they had pictures of her, then that mean that they always knew where she was, and that they could hurt her with ease."

"Oh." Her voice dropped low. Lil felt Nanna B's hand settle onto her knee.

"He loved your mom a great deal, even if he hadn't gotten to know her. So he made the drugs for the Preto family and he made plans too. They kept him in the lower part of their home. It was a laboratory with some rooms adjacent to it. He was rarely allowed outside and only under guard. Ten years passed like that for him. Around that time, my mom and dad came to work for the Pretos. My father was a gardener, and my mother was a chef."

"Why did they want to work for them?" Lil asked.

"The money was good. We were quite poor living in Candido Godoi. They took good care of my sister and I, but it was tough."

Lil said, "You have a sister?"

"I did. She was my twin, identical. We were quite close." Nanna B looked off at the distant clouds. She crossed herself and turned back to Lil. "They came to regret their decision almost immediately. My father did not work on any of the illegal plants. He just tended the vegetables and the decorative garden. He planted flowers and edibles, nothing else. My mom made dishes that were so decadent, so elegant, that the Pretos must have felt like kings when her food came to the table."

Lil could see the look of melancholy that was filling her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes dear. It's just hard to talk about sometimes." She took a deep breath and continued. "The Pretos had eight sons. Each was more horrible than the last. The eldest son cornered my mom in the kitchen one night, and tried to..." She paused for a moment and looked down at Lil, adding, "He tried to make her kiss him." She stopped then, clearly there was more, but Nanna B was holding back. "Anyway, my father came in and saw. My father was a fairly strong man. He fought the Preto boy. He was hardly a boy, but it is easier to think of him that way."

"How old was he?" Lil interrupted.

"Oh, he was in his twenties." Nanna B smoothed her hands down her pants and continued. "Father won the fight and tossed the boy out of the kitchen. Mom was mostly unharmed, just scared. It could have ended there, but the boy's father Javier Preto learned of the incident. And although he decided to keep them as employees, he could not allow for any insubordination."

"What does that mean?" Lil asked.

"No one got to stand up for themselves. Everyone was supposed to just do what they were told even if it was upsetting."

"Oh, that's awful." Lil rested a hand on Nanna B's.

"It was. Javier made an example of my father. He beat him in the center of his yard. He let his boys beat him too. Father was unconscious for over a week. My sister, mother, and I had to watch lest we get any ideas. Your grandfather was there too. Javier likely thought that it would remind him of what would happen if he didn't tow the line."

"That must have been scary." Lil squeezed her hand a little.

"Many things were scary in that house after that. They took mother away after the beating. We didn't see her for two days. Celeste and I had to take care of our father on our own while she was gone."

"Who is Celeste?"

"My sister." Nanna B crossed herself again. "When mom came back, she wasn't the same. She told us never to tell dad that she was gone. We kept our promise."

"Where did they take her?" Lil's voice was all concerned.

"It doesn't matter dear." But clearly it did. Lil did not push her though. She knew the value of the story and let her continue. "Time passed like that, with each of us worried that one wrong move would lead to death. I didn't know it at the time, but my mom was plotting, hoping for an opportunity to exact revenge. I was given a job. I became one of the food runners. I would take meals to the guards and to the people that were kept on the premises. That meant that I was responsible for feeding your grandfather. This is how we met."

"You've known him a long time then," Lil said.

"Yes, I have. I would sometimes wait for him to finish his food and then take the tray back upstairs. He was always working in the lab. He was trying to make the drug safer. I had asked him about what he was doing and he told me. He never minced words. It was odd, because I was a child and people didn't tell children such things. He said that he made something that hurt some people. When I was older he told me more. I learned that his first batch was too potent, and that it killed a kid. It created problems for the people that ran the drugs in the States. He was under a lot of pressure to make the drug better."

"It sounds awful." Lil was having a hard time pairing this image of her grandfather with the one that had already formed in her head. This man that Nanna B was creating was light years away from what she had thought she knew.

"As time passed, I was encouraged to go into the lab. Javier thought that I had a calming influence on your grandfather, and that I reminded him of what mattered. At the time I didn't realize that he was using me to remind your grandfather of his own child. Your mom and I were close to the same age sort of. So I spent a lot of time in the lab. My sister spent a lot of time in the kitchen and in the gardens with our parents. I told your grandfather stories about them and about my days. He listened like it was all the most important stuff ever. Then one day I told him about what they did to my dad. I had forgotten that he had been there."

"Did it upset him?"

"Yes, he hugged me. You know your grandfather is not the most affectionate of people, but he did hug me that day."

"He hugged me once, but it was odd." Lil smiled as she thought of it. "He probably hasn't hugged many people I guess."

"Probably not. Probably just you and me." Nanna B smiled back. "Guess that makes us special huh?"

"A little." She worried that Nanna B would be done now so she encouraged her, "So tell me more."

"Okay. Well, things got worse. He made the drugs and Javier sent them to the States. They had him increase his work. He was always making the drug now. It was something he called Alpha. It caused intense hallucinations, but it didn't kill anyone anymore if they were careful. This went on for a few years."

"He gets away from them though. How does he get away?"

"Yes, he does, but not easily. It was my sister that changed things for all of us. Things changed the night that the two men from the States came to pay a visit. They had the usual pictures of your mother and the usual threats. That night they went out though with the Preto boys. They were trouble when they did this. Javier didn't care. Trouble fell off of them like water off a duck's back." Lil laughed at the comparison.

"Sorry."

"No worries dear. It was an odd comparison. Regardless, they went into town to get drunk and pick up on women. The men from the States were Alastair and Azazel. They were the men that attacked you and caused your mother's death."

Lil felt her hand slide up to her side. She pushed back the fear that would cause her to shake and said, "Continue."

"Well, they liked coming home to visit, and the Preto boys knew how to entertain them. The people of Candido Godoi knew that it was best to keep indoors when the boys were partying in town. They brought the party back to the house. My sister was not in bed when they returned. She was out getting water and using the restroom. She had told me where she was going, but I fell back asleep right after she left. I didn't notice that she was gone until the morning."

"She didn't come back to bed?"

"No, she didn't." Nanna crossed herself again. "The boys found her up and about when they got home and they hurt her." Nanna stopped again and looked down at Lil. "Is this too much?"

Lil's hand was on her side, her fingers gently squeezing into the space. "No." It was, but she wasn't going to admit it.

"She was dead when we found her. They left her body in a tub, like it was nothing, just trash to be disposed of whenever we got around to it." Nanna B let a few tears slip down her face. She swiped them away with the back of her hand. "My father…" She started and choked a little. "My father…" She tried to continue. Lil wrapped an arm around her waist and held her. "He went into a blind rage. He took a shovel from the garden and managed to kill three of the boys in their beds. In the end, Javier and his men, shot him."

"Oh, Nanna, I'm sorry." Lil hugged her tighter.

"Your grandfather was a comfort during this time. My mother fell into such a depression that she stopped talking entirely. I took to sleeping in her bed with her, curled up into her side. She continued to cook for them. I tended father's garden. It was all I could do. Sometimes mother would come out to the garden with me and pick edibles. Oddly enough, one time, your grandfather was allowed to join us. The men from the States had gone home, but their effect was not forgotten. Your grandfather talked with my mom. He was kind to her."

"What did he say?" Lil asked.

"Well, she never spoke to him, but he said, 'Sometimes revenge is the only comfort, and sometimes it takes time to enact it.'"

"What did he mean?"

"At the time, I didn't know, but now I know. He was encouraging my mother to get revenge against the Pretos. She walked the garden with him like they were old friends and he talked of things that I already knew. He pointed out the plants that my father was growing. He took time to note the nightshade and the others in that region. Mom stooped and picked some of them and set them in her basket. We had picked the other vegetables that she would use in tonight's dinner. I helped her in the kitchen until she shooed me away. I went to talk with your grandfather instead then."

"They didn't hurt your mom, did they?" Lil knew where this was going. There was no evidence that Nanna B's mom was still alive.

"My mom had been hurt by them before, in numerous ways. That night she hurt them back." Nanna B swallowed audibly and got up. She walked a step or two to the wall and Lil followed her. They leaned against it facing out to the yard. "Mom made them a feast to rival anything that could be had in all the world. She poured her heart and soul into the meal. She cried as she made the soup, her tears added the salt. She thought of my father and mother as she cut up the herbs that would go into the meat dishes and the sauces. Everything smelled so amazing when I came back up to the kitchen."

"Did my grandfather say anything about her plans when you visited with him?"

Nanna B smiled, "No, not directly anyway. He told me to keep out of the dining room and to let my mom work on her own that night. Sometimes I would help. Well, I listened to him. I tried not to get underfoot. She needed help though. I carried out the tureen and bottles of wine. I set everything out on the table and lingered in the corner a little to see if mom needed more. She shooed me off again when she heard the boys coming into the room. I watched from the hall."

"What happened?"

"Patience little one." Nanna took her hand and they walked a little. "They ate the food with gusto. Javier toasted my mother's excellence. And it was then that he must have noted her face. She was smiling. He hadn't seen her smile in some time I imagine. What was there to smile about after all. He beckoned her to the table and her smile fell. All of his sons sat around the table laughing like fools. They quieted when she got to the table beside Javier. It was like they knew suddenly that something was wrong. 'Taste this soup, dear.'" Nanna B paused a moment, her face took on a look of anger. "My mother hesitated, then she saw me in the hallway and took the spoon from him. She put the food in her mouth and swallowed it. Javier made her taste other things and asked her what she thought of her own cooking. She didn't answer with words. She just shrugged. Eventually, he let her return to her corner. The effect was already taking hold of them though. She had mere minutes. She strode to me and cupped my face in her hands. 'Go now. Go to Mirov. Tell him it is done.' And I did what she said. I ran to Mirov."

"What happened to them?"

They rounded the next corner, Nanna B carrying the basket of flowers at her side. "They all died horribly and also quickly, my mother too. She had added plenty of things to their meals that would end them one and all. It is just too bad that those men that hurt you weren't there too. We could have saved ourselves a lot of grief if they had been taken care of then."

Lil took Nanna B's hand, and they walked along some more. "Who took care of you?"

"Mirov took care of me. He took over the Preto's operations. The sons were dead. The patriarch was dead. He was the only one that could make Alpha, so everyone seemed to accept him as the new leader of the family. In time, he built this place. He thought he could leave, go back to your mom and grandma. Azazel and Alastair made it clear that he couldn't. They hurt your mom and grandma. They sent him pictures and warned him. Mirov bowed to their wishes, but not to anyone else's. He made this compound and vowed that he would find a way to save his family, and that is why you are here and not out there where they can hurt you and use you against him."

Lil felt like she understood too much now. It was twisting her up inside. Nanna B seemed to understand and scooped her up to take her back into the house. Lil wrapped her arms around her neck and buried her face in her shoulder. She knew that she was too big to be carried, but she decided to pretend that she wasn't. It was nice to just be held and to know that she wasn't alone in this world. It was also nice to let someone else know that they weren't alone either.

* * *

Dean sat on the window sill, staring out at the town below. It was early morning, but already his head was too full of plans and memories. Eli had stopped by. It had been less than twenty-four hours, and he had already managed to get blueprints of Luc Mirov's impressive compound. Dean had been here for months, and the only thing he had managed was his own attempts at drafting an amateur drawing of what he thought the compound was on the inside.

He had spent some time stalking around in the trees surrounding the compound. He had to call up old knowledge that he had of geometry from high school. In the end he had a rough estimate of how big the place was. He had also used that time to flash light at Lil, let her know that he was here. He had not been out there in over a week. The last time that he had been out there, he had tried flashing light at her window. She didn't show up, and he realized then that he had missed their last unofficial appointment. He had tried to show up always at the same time and on the same day. Cas had told him once how important routines and such were to kids, especially one that has experienced a trauma like Lil had.

He looked off over the buildings and tried not to let the guilt overtake him. He vowed to make his way out there today, let her know that he was still here. That thought gave way to others, failings that he focused on all too often. He felt his heartbeat pick up and the curls of anxiety twist up in his stomach. He tried to push it aside.

Dean had been doing better back in Jacksonville. He let his mind slip over his life there and even back to the start with Cas. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back against the window frame. He pulled his legs up to his chest and hugged his knees. The window was speckled in rain drops from the downpour that they'd experienced that morning. It would get worse. It was July, and by noon everything would be an incredibly muddy mess.

He let himself dwell on the early days first, Cas singing on the stage, belting out songs to the rafters. _God, you were beautiful._ _Still are._ It began before that for him though, with stories. Sam would come over and tell him all about his friends, about Cas. Dean thought that he maybe fell in love with him then. The stories told him everything that mattered. They told him the content of Cas' character and of all that made him truly exceptional.

Dean pulled out his phone and looked up the video that went viral a bit over a year ago. Cas was singing _Speechless_. There was a teen girl singing with him. He had met her before. She had a strong voice. It was a good song for Cas' range. Dean felt like he had been singing the song with him in mind. That's how it often was with Cas though. When he talked with you, it was easy to feel like he was seeing into you, speaking to your soul. Dean smiled at the thought. _Or maybe that's just me._

The anxiety was still there in the pit of his stomach, but seeing Cas sing had calmed him a little. He had thought that it was better. He had managed to get his feelings under control. In those last weeks in Jacksonville, he had felt peaceful, like things were finally alright. He could recognize the shift when it happened. In their first months together, life had been chaos. All romantic overtures seemed to reflect that.

They had sex like two desperate creatures, worrying that everything would be ripped from them in an instant if they didn't cling to each other tightly enough. There were tender moments to be sure, but Dean remembered the way that it always felt like it was all just moments from vanishing. Then one day it was different. One day, it felt like they were safe. True nothing had been solved, A and Al had their freedom, and Ezra was still running around with too much power. But Dean felt the shift in his mind one night while they sat on the couch watching a movie.

Lil had squished herself into place between them and had become the defacto popcorn holder. Cas had stretched his arm over the back of the couch. Cas' hand had found the back of his head. He had played with Dean's hair and gently scratched at his scalp near his hairline. Dean had tipped his head into the contact, relishing the pleasure that it had provided.

Lil fell asleep long before the movie ended. Dean had watched her sleeping on his arm, her mouth wide open. Cas had looked down at her then at Dean. They had communicated without speaking. Cas had scooped her up and had carried her off to her bed.

They had moved off to their room and into each other's space. And for the first time Dean had felt like they were in no hurry, they had time and each other. There had been less desperation, less to fear. They had slipped into the bed, partially disrobed. Dean had curled into Cas' side and they could have slept. He had spent so much time worrying, so much time thinking that it would end in ruin, that having everything shift into a hopeful moment was nearly too much.

He had felt Cas smiling into his neck, his lips pooching out a little every couple of seconds. Gradually, he had moved into a lower position, running kisses from the top of his head down the side of his face. They had moved easy with each other, and Dean had found peace. It was nice knowing that they had each other, that they were both finally entirely in sync.

It had made it harder when everything went wrong. He lost his peace of mind. He lost his calm, his hope, his belief that sometimes things work out. Some days he thought that there was half a chance of fixing things. Then months had passed, and Lil was still far from being saved.

He gathered his papers off the window sill and set them aside. He put on his sunglasses and headed outside, intending to go check on Lil. He was out on the street in under a minute and stalking down the block to the car that he had acquired. It had been a cheap purchase and probably not legal. He hardly cared as the car was just a beat up looking Volkswagen. The paint was maybe red at some point. It was weathered and that made the color look rather muted. He got in and closed the door with a rusty crunch. He drove out of town and toward the compound. He had a place that he pulled into each time. It was a small dirt road that ran off into the trees. The car could not be seen in there. The road did not actually go anywhere, but instead ended abruptly.

Dean shut off the car and got out. He got his pack and gun. He began the long walk to the compound and the spot that he had been visiting each time that he had seen Lil. He pulled out his binoculars and scanned the side of the compound and the guards that lined the walls. Then he saw movement on the balcony. Lil was there, looking out toward him. He pulled out his mirror and flashed light toward her.

He looked back through the binoculars at her. She was smiling and he couldn't help but smile too. He was careful not to let the light linger on her for too long. He didn't want anyone to spot it. He watched her walk back into her room. He waited. She came back a moment later with something in her hands. He looked at her through the binoculars again. She was holding a paper against her chest that said 'DAD' in her own handwriting.

He flashed the light on the paper and moved it right and left. He felt bad at first, disappointing her. He saw her smile fall, and he thought about flashing the light up and down just to make it right again. Then she turned the paper around, and he looked at it again. The other side said 'DEAN' in her handwriting. He smiled at that. _I'll take second place._ He flashed the light on the paper up and down. She did a little joyful hop. The hop and the look on her face told a story, a story of renewed hope.

She seemed to have hope in her smile. She seemed to have hope as she flashed the light in response. Now though, her hopping, her smile, and her overall demeanor was a story. It sparked in him hope too. He gathered up his pack and made his way back out of the area. He hoped that Eli would return sooner than he had planned, and that he would return with an idea that they could run with.


	3. Live as One

Eli was back in Dean's apartment, a smile stretched wide across his face. He was a happy looking man. His tiny dance of joy as he moved into the room was certainly something to behold. "What's got you so happy? Please say you've got good news and that you're not just randomly dancing around in my apartment for no good reason."

"Oh, Dean. So much good news. You know what month it is?"

"Nearly August. Why?"

Eli stopped his dancing and grabbed Dean by his upper arms. "School starts in August here."

Dean felt his temporary enthusiasm slide off, back into the pit of his most recent despairing. "Great, Gabe sent me a lunatic to work with."

Eli's smile fell a little and then he said, "Totally sane, Dean. School though. You get where I'm going?"

"Clearly no."

Eli shook him a little and said, "Lil is going to school."

Dean had to process for a moment. "You mean…"

"Yeah, she's gonna get taken out to school everyday." Eli was shaking him again. "You haven't even heard the best part yet."

"There's more? This is good news Eli. Damn." Dean was smiling again. Getting her back seemed somehow more doable outside the walls.

"So here's the kicker. Mirov is assembling a security team for the little angel. He put out the word that he is wanting to hire some muscle to add to his preexisting crew."

"Oh, do we have someone that we can send there?" Dean was already calculating how much he would have to pay to sway someone's loyalty away from Mirov. It would be quite expensive. _Could message Gabe for more funds._

"Do I ever. I have the perfect candidate. He is attractive and good with knives. He has a significant amount of time on his hands lately and a deep seated desire to help little girls and their daddies reunite." He was grinning again.

"So who?"

"Dean, you're looking at him." Eli rolled his eyes. "I mean isn't it obvious. Just look at me. He'd have to be a fool not to hire me. I'm the size of a house."

"You wouldn't be doing this all anonymously though. I mean the risk is way greater with you on the inside."

"Actually, I see it as a way easier situation now. Before, it was gonna be gunfight at the O-K Corral. I see this as a sneak the child away situation now. Less guns, more subtle sneaking."

"Not sure if you've noticed, but you are not exactly the kind of guy that goes unnoticed. Not sure if you could pull off subtle." Eli walked over to the window and gazed out for a moment then turned back to Dean. "Hope I didn't offend you."

"Nope. I just think that you're underestimating my considerable skills on account of my size."

"Sorry. I don't see how I dig myself out of this one. I just think that the very reason that you'll get hired is also the very reason that you'll have a hard time getting Lil away from them. People will note you. You are quite noticable."

"Now that is just the thing, Dean. I'm so big that the effect is usually quite the opposite. People go out of their way to not stare at me too much, because they worry that they'll be thought of as rude. I get away with tons of stuff, just because of my size. Even the people that aren't concerned with being perceived of as rude, will be cowed by my alpha nature. I'm intimidating, thus they also avoid looking at me." Eli moved to the stacks of papers on the table and shuffled through them. He picked up the picture of Lil on her balcony. "Also, worst case scenario, I don't get the job. At least we then get eyes on the inside for a few minutes. The interviews are at the compound."

"So he's actually inviting people inside for the interview? That seems risky for him." Dean stood at his side and looked at the pictures on the table. He slid over one of the pictures of a delivery van that was parked at the gate. "In the past, he hasn't even let the delivery van inside."

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity." Eli pointed at the picture of Lil with the mirror. "I've checked with some people that have information on past Mirov interviews. He'll have me fill out a sheet detailing my history in the field. I'm to include a list of my family."

"We should put together a decent back story for you. Nothing too detailed though."

My thoughts exactly. I'm to pick up the form today. They'll take a picture of me while I fill it out. They'll give me a call back if I pass this part of the screening. I'll pass, always do." Eli was still smiling.

"Will you see Lil?"

"Not sure. I'm planning to bring something with me to let her know I'm one of the good guys. Might need to pick up a pocket mirror. "

Dean was grinning back now. "I went out there yesterday. She knows I'm out here."

"Well, Dean. You have been busy. How'd you let her know?"

"It's all her, smartest kid I know. She wrote my name and Cas' name on a paper, and I used the mirror light to tell her who I was. Like I said, she's brilliant."

"What grade's she in?" Eli stepped back from the table.

"She's going into first. I think Cas did a lot of extra stuff with her, and Meg was a truly dedicated mom too. No one's ever talked to her like she was simply a kid. Don't get me wrong, she got to do all of the kid stuff, but her life hasn't been ideal. She isn't your typical kid because of it."

Eli looked a little sad for a moment. "That's a little too bad, despite the fact that her smarts are helpful now."

Dean felt the same. "Yeah, I'd trade a bit of the street smarts for a bit of peace for her in a heartbeat if it meant that she wouldn't have to have the bad past. No kid should have to deal with what she's had to deal with."

"Agreed. We can't fix that though. So, let's suss out this back story. I'm thinking I got a whole mess of dead relatives."

"Yeah, dead relatives are safe relatives. Maybe one living uncle. Don't want you looking like a completely lone wolf. You're working with a kid after all."

Eli cocked his head to the side. "What if they want to contact him?"

"I'm your not dead uncle Eli. I got a throw away phone. Text yourself something a distant uncle would say." Dean slid his phone over to Eli.

Eli tapped out something and slid it back. "Think I'll have a dead wife and kid, play on unconscious sympathies."

"Don't get too detailed if they ask about their deaths. Use short, clipped sentences when talking about them. They were killed. You dealt with it. The end."

"Sounds good." Eli moved toward the door. "I'm gonna head out. I'll be in touch after the interview."

"Good luck, Eli. Be careful." Dean clapped him on the back as he was leaving.

"Always am."

As the door closed, Dean's phone began ringing. It was sitting on the table with the pictures where Eli had left it. Only a very small number of people had this number. He snatched up the phone and answered it. "Yeah." He didn't put names in his contact list. He didn't want anything to be too traceable back to home.

Gabe's voice responded, "Dean, hey."

"Gabe, long time no see, or speak or whatnot. Any news on Cas?" This was how most of their conversations began.

"That's why I'm calling. He's conscious. My guy up north, just called and said that he's actually been conscious for some time. I tried calling him, but the call went straight to voicemail."

"You think something's wrong?" Dean felt the nervousness pouring out of his voice. _Of course something's wrong. He would have tried contacting me._

"No, he's fine. I'm not sure what's up with the calls. I'm gonna head up there to check on him. Sam want's to go too. He's trying to work out the whole thing. He's been feeling like he can't leave during the trial. They called him up to testify about the attack at his home."

"Ah man, is he doing okay?"

Gabe let out an audible breath of air. "Yeah, he's great, Dean. Your brother held his own against some real bullshit. Brady's attorney tried to make Sam out to be some kind of monster. Of course he failed at that, since Sam is awesome."

"What'd the attorney try to pull on him?" Dean was trying to imagine a way that he could fly home, check on Sam and Cas, and still be back in Brazil in time for a Lil rescue.

"Oh, he was trying to make Sam out to be an ethical mess. He talked about how Sam was feeding information to you while working for Brady. Ya know, the truth. Sam got through it though. I'm not sure if this will lead to problems later, but he's doing fine right now."

"What sorts of problems will it raise later?"

"He could be disbarred. I believe that it is rather likely. What he did is pretty unethical. I'll likely work his defense though, which means that he'll have the best attorney working to save his sorry ass." Gabe fell silent for a beat and then moved down a different conversational path. "So, how are things on your end? Any progress on the Lil front?"

Dean recounted what had been happening over the last month, even thanking him for setting up the connection with Eli. He told him of their plans and the timeline that he thought that they were working with. Then after laying it all out, he came back to Cas. "When you see Cas…"

"I know, don't tell him where you are." Gabe huffed out a sigh filled with a hint of mild irritation.

"He'll want to find me. I need him to stay there and be safe." Dean felt like he had explained this enough already.

"He's gonna ask about you, about where you are. What do I say?"

"You tell him you don't know. He has no reason to think that we have kept in contact."

"Sam'll tell him."

"So, you tell Sam to shut his cake-hole. You tell him why he needs to keep this little mission under wraps." Dean was pacing now, worrying the hem of his shirt as he did so.

"Look, Dean, he's in no shape to run off after you. I know. My guy told me. He's doing physical therapy, and he's getting better, but he's not gonna come after you. He can't. I just think that telling him the truth is the right way to go. Secrets get people hurt. Also, he deserves to know about Lil, that we're working on getting her home safe."

Dean thought about it for a few moments and said, "Gabe, I just don't want him suffering anymore. I know him. He'll try to come here."

"Well then I'll just have to make sure he doesn't. He should know Dean. He should know that he hasn't been abandoned and that Lil hasn't been abandoned either."

"I don't know." But Dean was already swayed. "I hate when you make sense."

"It's the lawyer in me."

"I trust you then. Do what you must."

"So, I'll be telling him everything. I'm also gonna try to get him moved back down to the city. He could stay with Kali and I."

"I'm sure he could stay with Sam. He's family to us too." Dean sat down at the window and looked out over the town.

"Sam and Jess have some things going on right now that might not make their home the most convenient place for Cas."

"What do you mean?" Dean tried not to let himself sound worried.

"He should tell you. If you bothered calling him once in awhile you'd already know." Gabe's voice was light and Dean felt the worry slip off a little.

"Nothing bad right?"

"Nothing bad. You should call him though. It's important." Gabe sounded like he was done.

"I expect you to call me after you get to Cas."

"You could call him."

"Nope. Only call to and from the disposables."

"We'll call you when I get there then. I better go. Gotta pack and all." He paused a beat and added, "Really, you need to talk to Sam. He has the disposable that you left for him."

"I know. I've just been avoiding him. He left me about a million messages. I didn't fancy getting yelled at, so I haven't taken his calls."

"Dean, you're an idiot sometimes. Call him. You'll feel better once you do."

"Will do, boss." Dean hung up and rubbed the edge of the case, thinking of reasons to put it off for a bit. He had something to talk about though, so he was in the right moment to call.

He tapped in the number that he had memorized for Sam's extra phone. It rang once, twice, three times. He was ready to hang up when he heard Sam's voice come through. "Dean?"

"Heya Sammy."

"You stupid fucker. It's been months. You couldn't call or pick up your phone? What's wrong with you?" Sam's voice was both a blessing and a curse in that moment. Dean pressed his forehead into his hand for a moment to squeeze away the tension.

"Sorry. Gabe gave me an earful. He told me that you had some news and that I needed to call you." Sam was silent for long enough then that Dean said, "Sammy, you still there."

"Yeah, I'm here. I just don't know what to say right now. I'm mad at you, and I don't want to tell you anything. It would serve you right, you know."

"I get it. I'm sorry. I should have called. I have to be reminded sometimes that withholding information does not mean that I'm protecting you all."

"Damn right it doesn't mean that." Sam sounded less irritated. He continued, "I guess Jess and I have some news."

"Well, spill."

"You're gonna be an uncle." Dean had to process that one for a minute. "Dean?"

"You mean you all are having a kid?"

"Well, yeah. Adam ain't ready for that yet." Sam laughed at him. "We're due in late September, early October."

"Wait…" Dean was doing the mental math. "You were expecting back when I was living in Jacksonville?"

"Yeah, we were gonna tell you once we cleared the first month or so. Wanted to be sure it was all good. Then everything went south, and you took off. I kept thinking you'd be home any day and that Jess and I could tell you in person, but I'm starting to think that's not gonna happen any time too soon."

"Man, I can't believe it. I'm gonna be an uncle. You're gonna be a dad. Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously. I know the timing might not be the best, but Jess is excited, and I might still have a job." Sam's worry was a little closer to the surface now, and Dean picked it up.

"I'll have your back on that front, Sam. When I get back with Lil, I'll make sure to help you both out. And if the lawyer thing doesn't work out, we'll figure out something else. Cas'll help too. He'll want to do that."

"It isn't dire yet. We have a little nest egg, so we're good. Gabe offered a bit of help too. So did Uriel and Anna."

"We know good people."

"That we do. So, Gabe told you that we're going to see Cas, right?"

"Yeah, make sure he doesn't worry, okay. His only job right now should be getting better."

"Well, that might be an impossible task. That's kinda like telling someone not to be depressed. Hardly ever works."

Dean thought about it and said, "Tell him I'll be home by September. Tell him I'll have Lil with me."

"Is that true?" Sam's skepticism came through loud and clear.

"It's completely true. Look I know that I've been keeping you in the dark on a lot of this but…"

"Well, since I'm not an idiot, I've managed to figure it all out. You're in Candido Godoi, of course. You are likely a few miles from Mirov's compound. You have been spending your time concocting an elaborate rescue mission, and you haven't been successful yet. Am I close?"

"Spot on. I just figured the less you know…" Dean changed paths. "I will be home soon. We have a plan that will get Lil back. It's a good plan. So tell him I'll be there in September. Tell him to be patient. I don't want him to worry."

"I'll do my best. You do your best too. Don't get dead."

Dean laughed at him. "I won't get dead. Near as I can tell this is going to be a simple job. I promise to be careful. Be sure to tell Cas that."

"You're worried about how he's gonna handle all of this aren't you?"

"Yeah, we're a lot alike on that score."

"Well, he's not in any shape to be running off to Brazil or likely even down his own hall. I'll do my best to reassure him of your safety though. He'll need that, and any news of Lil."

"I saw her the other day. Tell him she's brave and smart and she's coming home."

"Got it. Love ya Dean. Be safe." Sam's voice dropped low.

"Really, don't worry. I got this. I'll see you in September." He hung up on a positive note, hoping that Sam could truly convey the feeling to Cas.

* * *

Nanna B had been extra attentive since their walk. She came in early this morning and started rummaging through Lil's drawers. "Wake up."

"Too early," Lil grumbled, pulling the comforter over her head. She had been plagued with nightmares the night before, and sleep was a less than satisfying experience.

"Sorry baby. Your grandpa told me to fetch you. He wants to talk to you about the interviews that he's doing today. I think that he's going to involve you at some point." Nanna B came to the bed with an outfit, pants, a pink shirt, and fresh socks. "Up and at 'em."

Lil slid out of the bed like she was the ooze and dragged herself to Nanna B. "Fine." Nanna B stripped the pjs off of her. She pulled the t-shirt over her head and handed her the pants to put on herself.

"You can do those. Don't be lazy."

"I'm tired. Can I go back to sleep after breakfast?"

Nanna B pressed a hand to her forehead. "You don't feel sick." Lil looked up at her hoping that she might seem pitiful enough to get another hour in. "You'll have to check with your grandfather. He might have a bit planned for you."

"What's he planning for me?" It had been a few days since she had really gotten to have breakfast with him. He had been busy with something. Nanna B said he had some business to take care of and that he'd be back to the old routines soon enough. Guess today we're back to the usual.

She pulled on her pants and swapped on the new socks. "So, you know how he's interviewing people for your school security crew?" Lil nodded at her question. "Well, he wants to have some of the candidates meet you. He wants to see how they act around you."

"Am I going to have breakfast first?" Lil yawned a little and slipped her feet into her shoes.

"Yes, dearie. Come on." Nanna B settled a hand on Lil's back and they walked out to the sun room together. sometimes they ate there. Lil liked this room better. It was sunny there and she could see the garden through the wrap around windows. The table was smaller too. The one in the dining room was too long. She felt like they would have to raise their voices too much to have a simple conversation. Back home they got to sit closer together. She liked that much better.

Her grandfather greeted her with a rare smile. "Hello, Lilith."

"Hello, grandfather." She took a seat across from him. She had decided that she would continue talking with him. It didn't mean that she had forgiven him or that she had resigned herself to life at the compound. It meant that she could draw more flies with honey, or something like that. Being pleasant was one means to an end. She also didn't hate her grandfather, despite the fact that she wanted to go home.

"Look out the window dear." Mirov casually waved a hand at the window. Just past the garden there, in the courtyard, you'll see the row of men. You see them?"

"Yes." Lil noted the five men that stood in a line at a fold out table. They were each getting a pat down.

"Right now, they're checking them for weapons. They won't likely find any, or maybe they'll just find a couple."

They had a couple of what looked like knives on the table. The guards made their way down the row, adding just a couple of small weapons to the table as they moved from the first man to the second, then the third. The fourth man was huge. He was raising his arms up over his head. The guard was giving him the pat down now. The guard pulled out a long knife, then a gun, then two more knives. "I think you might be wrong, grandfather." She pointed out at the man.

Mirov turned and watched as more and more weapons were pulled off of the large man and set on the table. The number of weapons was actually becoming ridiculous. A second guard came along to give the fifth man a pat down, while the weapons were still being removed from the fourth man. He was smiling the whole time that they were searching him. At one point he shrugged. On him shrugging was a grand gesture. Mirov picked up a walkie talkie and asked, "How many more weapons is he carrying?"

The response that came back to him over the crackling device was, "He said he doesn't know how many he's carrying, sir."

"Why is he carrying so many weapons?" Mirov asked.

The response came back a few moments later, "He said, you never can be too prepared, sir." Mirov and Lil kept watching after that as several more small weapons were added to the pile. the guards eventually looked like they had gotten all of the weapons. The man stepped back from the table and did a little spin for them to see all of his angles. Then the men were ushered away from the table to some targets. Each man was handed a gun and directed to shoot the distant silhouettes.

"So you had them take the weapons off of them just to give them each a gun to shoot a few seconds later?" Lil questioned him.

Mirov laughed a little. "The little pea shooters I have them using are nothing. I had the guards remove the weapons because I want you to meet them. I would like to know your opinion on them. I also judge a man by what he carries. They say that the gun maketh the man."

"They do?" Mirov nodded with a smile on his face, like it was all a joke, but Lil wasn't getting it. She asked, "Then what do all of those weapons make that man?"

"I'm not sure. Notable I suppose." He leveled his gaze at her. "I expect you to weigh in on which ones you find suitable."

"Why?"

"You will be spending a fair amount of time at school with your guard, so I want to know that you have had a say in who we hire. I didn't get such a luxury when I was brought here. I don't want you to feel like a prisoner. I want you to feel looked after and cared for." He reached across the table and settled a hand on her arm. His thumb gave her two swipes of affection before he retreated back to his space.

"Thank you, grandfather." She began eating her food and so did Mirov. "I would still like to call my dad though, once you feel that it is acceptable." Lil looked up at him as she said it.

Mirov's hand shook just slightly as he brought the next bite to his lips. "I'm afraid that won't be possible."

"Why?"

"Like I said before, your father is dead." Mirov continued to eat.

"I mean my dad, Cas Novak. I don't care about the other man. I never met him. Mom never talked about him."

"Cas Novak is not your dad. He is just a man that took care of you after your mom passed away. It was a year of your life, and he did not do a very good job." Color was rising in Mirov's cheeks.

"He did an excellent job. If it weren't for him, I would have been taken by the bad men that night. She moved to his side. She lifted her shirt a little so he could see the jagged scar that ran up to her ribs. "This is what he did the first time he got to me. Dad made sure that I would not get taken by him again. It's why you found me at Doctor Barnes' place."

"If I found you there, he could have found you there." Mirov couldn't take his eyes off of the scar. Lil lowered her shirt again. "Protecting you matters a great deal. He did not have my resources."

"And yet he managed to keep them from hurting me or even finding me for over a year. He loves me grandfather, just like you do. He deserves to know that I'm okay. At least let him know that I'm okay." She reached out for his hand and he did not let her take it.

"Watch the men shoot the targets, Lil." His eyes were steely in their focus on the distant targets. Lil followed his gaze.

* * *

Naomi was upset when she came into his room that morning. She set down the tray and excused herself from the room with a certain immediacy. She blew off his questioning look with an "I'm dealing with a bunch of business stuff today." Her dismissal was not typical, and so Cas knew that something was most definitely up.

Jacob came in not long after he had finished his breakfast. His jovial energy practically entered the room ahead of him. "Hey there Cas. You all ready for me?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Cas moved his legs over the side of the bed as Jacob retrieved Cas' cane.

"Was thinking that maybe you might want to try the stairs this morning." Jacob had a look that was mischievous passing from his deep set brown eyes with a wink. "Whatta ya say?"

"You think I'm ready for that, or are you just trying to get me to break my neck? I mean, I know I'm a pain, but I thought you swore some sort of hippocratic oath or somesuch thing." Cas always tried to keep their interactions light. Fighting with Naomi was tiring enough.

"Yeah, I'm totally done with your sorry ass. You might just get a little shove from me to help you on your way." Jacob slid a well-muscled tan arm up under Cas' right side and helped him move into a standing position.

"And here I thought we were friends." Cas leaned heavily on him until he could feel his legs following orders.

"Would friends let friends attempt walking down stairs prematurely if they thought that people were there that should be seen?" Jacob raised a brow and nodded to the door.

"A real friend would." Cas wondered who was downstairs. He assumed it was his dad, back from God knows where, or maybe one of his siblings. _The stairs will hardly be worth the effort if that is the case._

They took the first steps cautiously. Jacob kept an arm around him as they went. Cas used his cane too. "So, there's a very attractive pregnant lady downstairs."

Cas tipped his head to the side in question but quickly straightened out his gaze. He had to focus to keep from falling. "Got a name for the pregnant lady?"

"That I do." Jacob loosened his hold a little, letting Cas have more control. "Her name's Jess. She came with a giant husband."

Cas stumbled. Jacob caught hold of him. "Sam and Jess are downstairs?"

"You okay?" Jacob was supporting a whole lot of Cas.

"Yeah fine. Sam and Jess?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure that was his name. There's another guy too. He's arguing with your mom."

"Got a name for him? Most of my friends are argumentative."

Jacob laughed at that. "He's short, but that could just be the proximity to the giant that is the other guy. I think his name was Gabe, maybe."

"I'm going home, Jacob. I'm so going home." Cas was grinning ear to ear, and the joy was spreading to his legs as he took one careful step after one careful step toward the stairway.

"Well, now let's just see about getting you down the stairs. You know, your mom is gonna kill me over this."

"I won't let her. We'll just say that the stairs have been part of the plan, and that we wanted it to be a surprise. Of course, it won't likely come up, as I'll be too busy going home." Cas and Jacob got to the stairs. Normally, they'd be making their way down the hall to the makeshift gym that Naomi had set up. The stairs looked tall and overwhelming. "I'm a little nervous." He started to move a foot out over the edge.

"One step at a time, Cas. I got ya." Jacob moved to Cas' other side so he could hold the handrail. He took Cas' cane and directed him to move to the next step. Cas slowly stepped down to the next step. 'Good job, Cas. You're doing great," he encouraged.

When they got to the bottom, they could hear the distant sound of voices trailing to them from the other end of the hall. "Sounds like they're in the living room."

"Yeah, that's where I met them. I think your mom is trying to diplomatically send them off." Jacob handed back the cane, and Cas began hobbling down the hall. Jacob kept a hand at his back for stability.

They drew closer to the door and the voices rose in volume. "You really can't expect us to just leave without seeing him. Not gonna happen."

Then a second deep voice punched past the door. "I don't get why we're even talking about this anymore. Let's just go find him."

Cas could hear movement then his mother's voice saying, "I'm going to call the police. You all need to go."

Cas decided that he should probably get in there before things escalated any further. He reached out and opened the double doors. Everyone froze up in shock as he stood in the open doorway. "So, I take it you all missed me." The smile that bloomed on Sam's face was in direct contrast to Naomi's look.

"Cas, you really shouldn't be up. What are you even doing down here?" Naomi darted a glance at Jacob.

Jacob looked away. Cas took a couple of tentative steps forward. "I've made it abundantly clear that I wanted to speak with my friends. I'm just glad that Jacob and I had planned to try the stairs today. I might have missed seeing them."

He moved to the sofa and took a seat. Everyone else was still standing, staring. "Cas." Jess dropped down on the sofa next to him and swiftly wrapped her arms around him. Her stomach kept the hug at an angle. "Kid's getting big. Sorry. Hugging is awkward now." She leaned back and smiled, putting a hand on top of her belly.

"I can't believe it." Cas reached out and rested a hand on top of hers. She moved his hand to her belly and let him feel the little kick there. "Strong. When are you due?"

"October, maybe. Sam keeps saying September. We'll see. There's a betting pool going." Jess smiled over at Sam who finally seemed to be snapping out of his shock. He came over to Cas, and Gabe was right on his heels.

"I can't believe you're finally conscious." Sam dropped down to a crouch in front of him. "Had us all worried."

"Yeah, I tend to do that from time to time." Sam reached out and settled a hand on Cas' knee. "I'm sorry. I know I worried everyone." His voice dropped low in the delivery.

"Seriously, Cas. You have nothing to be apologizing for. And now at least one of those bastards is dead," Gabe said. "Oh, and hi by the way." His lip turned up into a half grin.

"Gabe." Cas smiled back. "He turned his attention from one to the next and asked, "So you need to tell me that Dean is okay, and that Lil is okay. My mother has told me only what she could discern from the news, which I know isn't much in this situation."

Gabe turned to her and said, "You haven't told him anything that I told you, about Dean or Lil?"

"I did. I mean, I told him that Dean was working on taking care of the little girl and that you were helping." Naomi looked particularly guilty and this made Cas even more nervous.

"Tell me they're okay?" Cas felt Sam squeeze his knee a little in comfort before he spoke. "Sam."

"Dean is working on getting Lil back." Sam got up then and took a seat across from him. This seemed to set Gabe and Naomi in motion too. They each took seats. "He told me to tell you that he would be home in September, with Lil."

"Where are they exactly?"

Gabe chose to respond then, "They are near the town of Candido Gadoi, Brazil. Mirov has Lil at his compound just outside of town. Dean has been working for months on an exit strategy. I finally got him hooked up with Eli. You might remember him from back in the day."

"Eli?" Cas tipped his head in contemplation. "Oh, the guy that helped me look for Chuck."

"Yeah, that's the one. Well, he has been with Dean for a bit now, and they have a plan to get Lil out."

"She's been there this whole time?" Cas thought about how long that was. _Months. She's been with him for months._

"Yes." Sam looked as concerned as Cas felt. "Dean hasn't been great about communicating either. I know almost nothing. He has been semi-communicating with Gabe though."

"Don't go guilt trippy with me Sam. Would you rather he dropped off the face of the earth entirely? I had to play by his rules." Gabe was staring at Sam with some intensity.

Cas chimed in, "I'm sorry, but you both need to catch me up. What're you upset about?"

Sam replied before Gabe could, "Dean decided, while you were in the hospital, that the one thing you needed more than anything was to have Lil back." Cas shrugged. "So, being Dean, he slipped out of town without telling any of us about his plans. He got Gabe to fly him to Brazil, and then he chose to basically only talk with Gabe for over a month."

"Look, I tried to tell him that you would need to know. I certainly didn't condone his choices."

"You could have told me. You could have given me the phone number. I am capable of buying a throw away phone for calling purposes. You could have actually tried to tell me what I needed to know." Sam threw his hands out at his sides in frustration.

"Dean told me that he'd cut us all off if I didn't follow his rules. He wanted to be sure that everyone here could know stuff about his actions without any trouble coming home. You know he's always been a little protective of you. The trial made him ease up a little."

Cas interrupted them with an unexpected bit of support for Dean, "He wasn't wrong."

Sam darted a look over at him. "Really, Cas? You think that he needed to keep me in the dark about his South American adventures?"

"Yes. You needed to be here, dealing with the trial. From what my mother has told me, you've already taken the stand. You've had to answer questions that have likely taken you down uncomfortable paths. Dean likely knew that you would not be comfortable with him going after Lil. He also likely knew that he'd be doing things that border on risky or even possibly illegal in some pretty major ways. I'm willing to bet good money that he has kept you in the dark because he was worried about how hard it would be for you to know about the things that he was doing while you were dealing with everything back home."

"I'm his brother, Cas. Family supports each other. Keeping me out of the loop is every kind of wrong. You can't be okay with this."

"I haven't been conscious long enough for him to have kept me in the dark, but let's just say that I understand his concerns. I am choosing to believe that he has set up some means by which I can talk with him about the situation." Cas looked from Sam to Gabe.

"He has." Sam pulled out his cell phone. "He said that I could call him and let you talk with him if you were up for it."

"I am. I would have called him myself, except that some people seem to think that communication is a hinderance to my recovery."

"Cas, please…" Naomi looked rather defeated.

"No, mother." Cas reached out to Sam for the phone.

Sam pushed the buttons to make the call and handed the phone to him. "He'll just say _yeah_ when he answers." Cas nodded acknowledgement and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Yeah," Dean's voice was just as he remembered it.

Cas didn't expect to be moved to silence by it. Dean cleared his throat. "Dean." Cas finally managed the word.

"Cas?" Dean's tone shifted noticeably, and Cas thought he caught something in it that spoke to the difficulties that he had been facing in Brazil. He sounded a little more vulnerable.

"It's me, Dean. It's me."

"I was so worried about you. You can't even begin to know." Dean's words were practically a whisper. "Are you okay?"

"I'm getting better. Sam, Jess, and Gabe are here. They've been filling me in on what you've been doing. Sam said you'll be home in September." The last was almost a question. He felt odd having this conversation while the others were watching him. He also just felt odd having the conversation at all. He wanted Dean to be in the same room with him, not thousands of miles away.

"If all goes according to plan, Lil and I will be back in September. We can't retrieve her until she starts school in August. I also don't think that we can get out of the area easily. Mirov will be watching the airstrips, so Eli and I are going to drive out a bit before we have Gabe pick us up."

"Gabe's aware of your plan?" Cas asked and looked over at Gabe, who now moved closer to chime in.

"What plan?" Gabe asked, and leaned down to press his ear next to Cas' and the phone.

"Is that Gabe?"

"Yeah, he's right here. Do you want to talk with him?" Cas asked.

"No, I want to talk with you. I've heard enough from him these past months." Gabe laughed when he heard the response and leaned back away from the phone and Cas' ear. "I'll just call him later. You can let him know."

"He'll call you later," Cas repeated and Gabe nodded.

Dean's tone dropped low again. "I wish I could be there with you, Cas."

"I know. I wish I was there with you. I wouldn't be much help, but I want to be there just the same." Cas turned away from the others as he spoke and added, "I'm recovering quickly. If you aren't back by September, I should be well enough to join you down there."

"It won't be necessary, but I'm glad you're going to be back to your old self by the time I get home." Dean sounded hopeful, and Cas wanted to believe that it all would be as easy as his tone implied. He knew though, that nothing was ever easy for them.

"I'm afraid to ask about Lil. I want to know everything, and I'm afraid of what you'll tell me. I'm afraid that you'll tell me that she's been hurt or locked away all alone."

"I need you to believe me when I tell you this, Cas. Can you do me a favor and just believe me?" Dean waited for a response.

"Yes." Cas didn't sound very convincing.

"I really need you to believe me."

"I do." His tone sounded stronger.

"Aside from being separated from us, she is doing well. Mirov has her in his compound just outside of Candido Godoi. She is allowed to roam around inside of the walls. I've seen her smile. She knows that I'm out here, working on getting her out. I promise you that she is not being abused in there or in any way harmed. I've been watching, and although it is at a distance, I can see that she is okay. The one thing that I had really worried about is that she would think that we'd abandoned her. We found a way to communicate though, so that hurdle is not an issue now."

"Does she seem to be unhappy?" Cas had worried about her constantly since he had regained consciousness, and even before in dreams. She was his focus, and though he worried about Dean, it was harder for him to think about Lil without a shudder of fear taking over him. She had only just gotten to a more stable place mentally speaking. Her nightmares had been less frequent. Her talks in therapy had become fuller of the sorts of things that children her age typically focus upon: playdates, school, and her karate lessons.

"I'm sure she is a little unhappy, because she loves you and wants to be home. I'm sure that it's hard for her, but she only has to live like this for a little longer. I'm gonna get our girl home. I promise, Cas. I'm gonna fix this, and I'm gonna do it by September."

"I need you to be careful, Dean. I need you to be okay too." Cas wondered if it would really be so difficult for him to get to Dean. _Gabe could take care of the flying._

"I'm careful. Why do you think it's taking me so long? I should have been back to you already, but Eli and I are avoiding the full scale attack mode that would likely get us a bit injured and such. Plus I need to try to extract her with minimal attention."

"You think you can get her out without Mirov noticing? That sounds highly unlikely."

"I can, and I will." Dean sounded confident, and Cas felt like he could believe in him.

"I can't wait to see you both again, safe and at home. I'm ready for us to stop being apart." Cas swiped at the side of his cheek where a lone tear made a path.

"Me too. I do stupid things sometimes. I look up that video of you singing with that kid. I listen to it when it gets rough. I miss you, and the only thing that makes all of this tolerable is the bare hope that we'll find our way back to each other. We'll get our peace. I want that more than anything. I want it for you, for me, and for Lil."

"Me too, Dean. Me too." He glanced back at the others who were just sitting quietly, letting him have his moment with Dean.

"I need to get going. Eli just came back, and he looks pleased. I'll call again through Gabe. He said you'd be staying with him."

"Oh, he did? First I've heard of this. Guess I better make this a truth then." Cas was smiling about the plan. _I'm getting out of here. Freedom, sweet freedom._ He looked at his mom and saw the look on her face. There was defeat there, and a little sorrow. "Anyway, I'll talk with you again soon right?"

"Absolutely. I'll make sure to keep you in the loop. I'll try to call every night if I can."

"Good. I'll need that. I was freaking out with the not knowing things."

"Then I'll make sure not to let you be in the dark. I love you, Cas."

"Love you too, Dean. Come home soon. And Dean…" He paused a moment.

"Yeah."

"When you get Lil back, tell her every second of every day that you have her until the moment that you are back here with me, that I love her. Tell her that she is everything, and that I'm waiting for her to come back to me. Make sure she knows what she means to me."

"I will." His voice held conviction. "We'll be home soon. I love you." Dean hung up the phone on that note and Cas didn't take the phone from his ear right away. If he left it there, warm and close, he could imagine that Dean's words were still in the room with him. He could imagine that the miles between them had been bridged, and that they had found their peace right here in this room.


	4. Where Do They All Belong

Cas was helped up to his room so that he could gather what little he had there. Jacob loaded things into the small suitcase that must have been brought from his house when he had first gone into the hospital. "You gonna be okay, Cas?"

"Yeah. I am now." Cas looked up at him as he riffled through the last drawer for anything that might be Cas'.

"I mean, it sounds like you're moving closer to danger again. Will you be okay there?"

"It can be just as dangerous for me here. If Brady decides to send me a little message, living here just puts my mom and the rest of my family in danger. I can't tell her that. She doesn't need to worry about it. When I go home with Gabe and Sam and Jess, I won't be putting anyone else in danger. Brady has already targeted them. My being there won't make any difference with regards to their safety." Cas felt the weariness overtake him. He sat down on the edge of the bed, fingers curling into the sheets.

"You having any pain?"

"No, just tired."

"You're gonna need a physical therapist up there." Jacob sat down next to him.

"Pretty sure I will. You planning on moving to the city too?" Cas tipped his head and watched for a reaction.

Jacob looked thoughtful. "Nah, I got a good life here. Can't be throwing it to the wind ya know."

"I get it. I'll likely need some recommendations then, if you have some."

"You gonna be back in Jacksonville or are you going elsewhere?"

"Pretty sure we're stopping in Jacksonville for a couple of days, check in with Sam's half-brother and stuff. Then we'll be heading off to Gabe's place. Cas reached over to the little table and picked up a pen and some paper. He jotted down his number and Gabe's address. "Keep in touch." He smiled and handed it over to him.

"Cas." Cas and Jacob looked up at the doorway. Naomi was hovering in the space.

"Mom." His tone toward her had softened since he had realized that he was leaving. His anger over her manipulations carefully pushed back.

"Could we talk for a moment?" She looked from Cas to Jacob.

"I need to be going anyway. I'll talk with you later." Jacob got up from the bed and strolled off to the door. He slipped past Naomi and was gone.

Naomi moved into the room some more, but she still hovered some distance away from Cas. "I know I can't convince you to reconsider."

"You can't. I need to be where I can help. I also need to know that information won't be withheld from me. You've proven a bit untrustworthy in that respect." He didn't let his gaze waver and neither did she.

"I thought it all for the best. You know I love you, right?"

"I know. It's a bit of a misguided love, but I know that you do. I love you too. I can't be here though."

"Because you think you'll bring danger here," she said.

"You were eavesdropping."

"I was." She moved closer to him. "I'm sorry Cas." She took a seat next to him.

"I need you to know that I understand why you did what you did, even if I firmly believe that you were wrong." Cas took her hand. She gave it a squeeze.

"Let me come with you then." _Oh, that was unexpected._ She seemed to see his many refusals about to spill out. "Cas I need to know that you'll be okay. I'm useless here. I need to know that no one is hurting you."

"I really don't think that this is a good Idea. I mean, I'm gonna be living with Gabe and his fiance. I think it was already a stretch just working me into the plan."

"Then I'll stay in a hotel and be conveniently close. Just don't say no to me on this. I'm begging you." Her other hand came up and cradled his cheek.

"I, I don't know." And he really didn't know what to say. He didn't like the thought of her being at risk. Her moving down there would be the exact opposite of what he wanted riskwise.

Then she played a different card. "Plus, I will need to meet my granddaughter. She's coming home soon right?"

"September. Dean said September." He let go of her hand and wiped both of his on his pants. "What'll you even do though? You'll be bored. Not to mention, I don't like the idea of you being anywhere near my enemies."

"They're all in jail pending the inevitable guilty verdicts. I'm safe. And as for my being bored, you'll require some work. I have a lot of catching up to do with you as well. Maybe we can try talking without arguing."

"A novel concept." His lips curled up into a wry expression.

"Please, Cas." Her eyes were pools of emotion, year's worth of stories, worries, and affection swam in them.

Cas couldn't deny her, despite his anger, despite his own worries. "Okay." With that one word she collapsed into his shoulder and clung to him like she'd never let go.

* * *

Lil watched the men gather in front of her. Mirov stood at her side. He had his guards take back the small guns that they had been given. They all had perfect aim. Each one had managed to unload the weapons at the target, hitting only the head and the heart.

She was introduced to each one in turn. They nodded and said innocuous things like, 'pleased to meet you, or pleasure to meet you.' She got to the big guy though, and he was different. He came down to a crouch, and was still taller than her. He reached into his pocket, and one of the guards swiftly moved closer to him. Mirov motioned him back.

The big guy pulled out a small mirror. "My name's Eli." He flashed a little light at her.

Lil felt her muscles tighten all at once. She took a step toward him, and reached out her hand. Eli set the mirror in her hand. It was decorated with little rhinestones on the edge and closed up like a make-up compact. "It's pretty."

She started to hand it back to him. He waved his hand in front of him saying, "No, you keep it. It's meant to belong to a lovely princess like you munchkin."

Lil's heart may have skipped several beats with that. _Dean called her munchkin, and Cas too sometimes._ She held the mirror to her chest and looked at him for any further signs. "Thank you. I'll take good care of it. Do you have a daughter, Eli?"

"No, just a crotchety uncle. Only good thing about him is his musical tastes. Guy listens to Led Zeppelin and a bit of the best classic rock out there."

"Does he like Taylor Swift." Mirov laughed at her question and they both turned their attention to him.

"Sorry." He looked away from them for a second.

Eli said, "I imagine he does; though, I bet he'd keep it a secret. Everyone secretly likes her." He grinned at her and stood back up.

Lil was then directed to the next man. He tried to crouch down and have a conversation with her too, but he had nothing of interest to say. She engaged a bit and then went off to Mirov's side. "So, who should we hire, dear?"

"Eli and maybe the first guy." Lil decided to pick two since, she didn't want to seem too obvious.

"Excellent. I think that you have chosen quite well." Mirov turned to the others and said. "Well, it looks like she has made her choices. The two of you are hired. Report here tomorrow at 6:00 am. We'll put you through the paces and Marco will be sure to go over your duties as well. The rest of you, I'll be in touch with you the next time we have an opening."

He waved them off and Lil went to Mirov's side. He settled a hand on her shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. Eli and the others were being ushered off toward the gate. Eli turned back to them and gave a little wave. Mirov and Lil waved back, then they turned and went back into the house.

* * *

Dean was pacing the apartment, his hands sweating on this too hot summer day. He kept wiping them down the sides of his pants. The knock on his door jarred him from his contemplations. He knew that Eli was in the compound. He knew that he'd see Lil. He had been talking with Cas less than 24 hours ago.

Eli came back to the apartment in the middle of that conversation to tell him that the interview inside of the compound was a go. Dean was happy at first, then a little worried. He told him things that he could say that Lil would connect to him. He called her munchkin, and they sang and danced around the house to Led Zepplin. He hoped that she had the kind of fond memories of that that would linger and remind her of him.

Once, he had popped on a record in the living room and the two of them lip synced a show for Cas. He laughed at them as they came out into the living room in matching white button-ups and shorts, paired with calf high white socks. They had even put on dark aviators and danced with synchronized slides. Cas approved and applauded their efforts with wild abandon.

When they put Lil to bed that night, Cas had asked for an encore. Dean remembered the look of pleasure as he had whispered down into Cas' ear that the encore would be best experienced in the next room over. "Wouldn't want to wake up the munchkin." He had reached down with that pronouncement, and had led Cas off to the bedroom.

Now there was knocking on the door, and Eli's voice on the other side. "Open up, I got news."

Dean whipped the door open and beckoned Eli in. "You got it?"

"I so got it. I start tomorrow." Eli beamed.

Dean hugged him. His arms didn't make it all the way around, but he hugged the Hell out of him. "Things are looking up, Eli. Things are looking up."

"Gave her the mirror and called her munchkin. She knew I was there on your behalf. Mirov let her pick her security detail. She picked me and some other guy."

"You think you'll be able to get her free?" Dean walked over to the table with all of their general plans still spread out in a wild mess.

"Yeah, once we get her outside and in school, I'm guessing a week or two into the experience. We want them to get use to the idea. They'll be on high alert at first. After a few days, it'll feel routine. When the time gets close, we'll need to call Gabe and get him to fly down here."

Dean interrupted, "Well, not here exactly. I'm guessing about 50 miles north of here. He'll have the airstrips watched. Wouldn't be surprised if he had the clout to get them all shut down. Kinda a miracle that I got in in the first place."

"Well there's one in Venezuela that my cousin sent me to when I was coming here. It was pretty remote and seemed like a good place to fly out of without much attention." Eli pointed down at the map and said, it's around this area.

On the map it was just a swatch of green. Most of the map was just green with pencil thin lines drawn in for the unmapped roads. "Sounds like that might work well for us. We need to pay anyone off there?"

"I didn't encounter anyone there. Pretty sure it's just a private strip. Maybe even abandoned. The landing was a bit bumpy with all of the potholes there." Eli wandered over to the fridge and rummaged for something. He came out of the process with a torta that Dean had been saving. "You gonna eat this?"

"Nope, go for it." Dean figured that the plan that Eli roughly laid out would work with the September deadline that was in his head.

Eli came back to the table and cleared off a spot for himself. He started eating, and Dean decided to get a beer. They sat there together in companionable silence. Dean popped open his laptop and looked over the newsfeeds from home. _Brady trial closing arguments set to begin._ Dean clicked the link and read through the piece.

"Find something interesting?"

"Just the Brady trial. Looks like it's wrapping up. I should call Sam and see what he knows."

"He didn't mention anything when you talked with him the other day?" Eli wiped his hands off on the napkin in his lap.

"No, but he was a little busy harassing me about my lack of communication. Then there was Cas to discuss. Guess he's had a lot on his plate lately."

"Yeah, you said he and his wife are having a kid too, right?"

"They're due in September or October, depending on which of them you ask." Dean drank down another swallow of his beer and set the bottle down in front of him.

"When we get back, we might have to deal with the Brady bunch too." Eli's tone was serious. It was a far cry from the jovial man that had entered the apartment just a short time ago.

"I can't think about that right now. One day at a time, okay?" Dean picked up the beer again.

"Yeah, but we might need to think about it. We can't be taking Lil back to the dangers that that man will unleash. You got a backup plan that involves maybe taking them to some desert island somewhere?"

"That sounds like a solid plan Eli. We'll go with that."

"Okay then." Eli got up and tossed the paper plate into the garbage can. "I'm gonna go get ready for tomorrow. I'll check in in a few days."

"Be safe."

"Will do." As he got to the door, Eli turned back and said, "Call your brother, and make a backup plan that'll work. I don't want to put a ton of effort into this rescue just to have it get messed up on the back end."

Dean moved to the door and said, "I have no intentions of losing this time. You just take care of your part, and I'll take care of mine." As Eli left, Dean started thinking about the trial though, and all that the verdict would mean. There was still so much to worry about there, and if he was being completely honest with himself, he knew that he'd never feel really safe so long as Ezra was still alive, calling the shots, or if A was still alive even in a jail cell. Then the other thought occurred to him. _What if the jury didn't find Ezra guilty? What if he gets to them like he has every other time he's been in a court?_ Dean wondered if anyone was watching the jurors or their families. _A's in jail. Ezra's in jail. They didn't give either one bail opportunities. That had to be a good sign._

He comforted himself with that thought. This time should be different. This time they would have to win. It would be madness for it to go any other way.

 


	5. Any Way the Wind Blows

For Lil the first day of school was momentous as it signalled to her the possible end of her captivity. She was also a child though, and some small part of her also viewed it with the same childish joy that most elementary aged children viewed school. She had an extra bounce in her step as the first day approached. Her grandfather's tight-lipped nervousness did not diminish her overarching joy. She smiled at him at breakfast and even found herself singing as she roamed the halls of the house.

Sometimes, when she thought about it all, a little sadness would creep in and take over. During her months in this new home she had somehow managed to cease hating Mirov. In the first days, he was everything vile she could imagine. He was evil and not to be trusted. Then Nanna B gave her the story, and now she felt pity for him that had transformed on some days into something more. She wouldn't call it love. No, it was something born in kindness though. It was perhaps a kind of love, the kind you feel for those that you spend a lot of time with, but never truly know. She did feel as though she knew him a little. It was all second hand knowledge and observational though, and not the kind of knowledge that one gains from intimate conversations about life experiences and emotional journeys. Thus, what she felt for him was different, not as deep as the emotions that she felt for others.

She knew much of what love was, because she had felt it so intensely before. The love she had felt and still felt every day for her mother would forever shape her. Though there were memories that were hazy and fading with the passage of time, the love that she gave and received made her strong, made her warm when all else seemed to be dismal.

Then there was Cas. She loved him without being in a situation that seemed to call for it. He was not her father by blood or even an official adoption. He just was all of the things that a father should be, and he loved her unconditionally. She knew without a doubt that he would do anything for her. She knew also that her absence now in his life was likely horrible for him. She worried about him and wondered if he was okay. The fall was bad. At least that was what she had learned.

Then August and school began, and with it came a different host of issues. She was different, significantly so. The joyful anticipation that she felt for the first day gave way to the more uncomfortable feelings that arose on the other days. Most of her fellow classmates did not speak English in her presence, despite their ability to do so. This made her feel like an outsider, far more than she had anticipated. Also, none of the children seemed to seek her out on the playground. There was a strange sort of buffer that seemed to exist around her, a space that everyone seemed to be creating.

The security personnel that followed her and hovered around the schoolyard likely contributed to the stigma that she seemed to be carrying. A week in, and she was ready to just be done. Eli approached her as she sat at one of the picnic tables alone. He sat across from her and folded his hands on the table in front of him. "Hello, Lil."

"Hello," she replied. She wanted to ask about Dean, but she thought that some things were not safe to say out loud.

Eli's face was a broad grin. He let his eyes roam over the schoolyard and out to the perimeter where some of the other guards were stationed. "Your grandfather has made school a very unusual place for you."

"No one wants to talk to me. I'm the freak with a whole army following her." She looked over the perimeter too.

"Guess it's a good thing that you'll be done with all of this soon then?" Eli let the words take on a questioning tone.

Lil tipped her head to the side and considered his words. She lowered her voice a bit and asked, "Is Dean ready?"

"Almost. We need to let things continue like this until everyone gets used to you being outside of your cage. If we swoop in too soon, it'll spell disaster. Everyone is on high alert right now. I'm sure I'll have to explain this little sit down once we get back."

"You won't get fired will you?"

Eli drummed at the table a little and laughed, "No, I'm a smart guy Lil. What'll happen is they'll question me, and I'll tell them that I was concerned. I'll say, 'She kept sitting by herself.' I'll tell them that I thought that you looked sad. Pretty sure, if I play my cards right, it'll get back to your grandfather and he'll try to change things a bit, make it look like you aren't being watched so much. He might even pull some of the security detail to make it less obvious that you are special."

"I'm not special." Lil noticed though, the way that some of the kids whispered and pointed.

Eli dipped his head low to catch her eye. "You're incredible, and that's a type of special. Dean told me about you. I've known kids before. Got some nieces and nephews back home. None of them are even half as smart as you." He started to get up, but then added, "I'm gonna get you home to your dad. You deserve good things, and I won't stop until you get back to him and the world that you deserve."

Before he could leave the table, Lil reached out and caught his arm. "Why are you helping us?"

Eli shrugged off the contact gently with a look around the yard at those that watched them. He leaned back down to the table. "You need to be careful about the physical contact. They'll tell your grandfather that I'm behaving inappropriately if we get along too well. It's already going to take some effort to spin this conversation in the right way." Lil let her hand drop from him as he glanced around again. He looked back at Lil who just let her eyes rest on him, calm like all the world had fallen away. "I had a child once. Lost him and his mother. I found this career though. I help people. I do what they can't, and in the end, I don't feel as lost." He got up again and stood at the side of the table.

Lil looked up at him. She wore a gold heart on a long chain. It was a gift from her grandfather. She wrapped her hand around the heart and said, "Instead of giving you a hug, I'll do this." Eli watched her, and his own hand came up to his chest. "Thank you for helping us."

"Anytime, princess." He smiled and turned away from her to go back to the perimeter.

It was the way that he walked away that stayed with her. She decided to be more careful about her interactions. She felt somehow that she had hurt him. The next week passed slowly, but she watched him. He was one of the detail that had to always have eyes on her. He got to sit in the back of the classroom. He got to hover in the corner of the library when they went there.

Mirov relaxed a little and pulled some of the security, just like Eli had hoped. She moved through the days on autopilot until one morning at the end of the second week when Mirov sat across from her at breakfast. "You aren't going to school today."

She looked across the table over the flower centerpiece that partially obscured her view. She picked up her bowl of cereal and walked it over to the space at his side. She moved away the useless place setting that no one ever needed as it was always just the two of them. She settled into the spot and noticed that her grandfather was not setting aside his newspaper which was also obscuring her view of him. "Why?"

"A day off for you is good," he said.

She reached out and moved the paper aside to see him better. His face was bruised. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing." He moved the paper back.

"Is this why I'm not going to school today?" She set a hand on his arm and hoped to draw him into the conversation. He was doing his level best to maintain a cold distance though.

"Yes." He huffed out a rough breath and set the newspaper aside. "I''m sorry." He looked down at her. "I know that you have been looking forward to school. This is temporary."

"That doesn't matter. What happened to you?" Lil felt genuine concern. Her grandfather was one of the toughest men she knew. He had more protection surrounding him than seemed necessary on any normal day. _Who could even get past all of that?_

"I have enemies, and they have managed to elude justice yet again." He folded his hands in front of him. "I've grown soft since you came here. I thought before that much of humanity wasn't worth an ounce of salt. Then you. You made me think that I had been rather wrong about people. If you could see the good in them, then maybe I could too."

"Not everyone is good, but most people are." She watched his face shift a little. He looked away from her toward the bright window.

"Unfortunately, the ones that aren't good, are really quite bad."

"Who hit you?"

He seemed like he was going to avoid the answer. He started to pick up the paper again and then just let his hand rest on it instead. "Ezra's trial is over and he's a free man. Not less than 72 hours later and he managed to get to me. It's this place. He has too many ties here."

"No. How could he be free? He did horrible things." Mirov's hand came to her now. He gave her shoulder a little squeeze.

"Sometimes people with money manage to get away with horrible things." He paused a moment and added, "I'm working on settling old debts with him. I'm certain that he deserves my complete and undivided attention now."

"What about A? Is he free?" Lil's hand moved involuntarily to her side.

"Not yet. I worry that he will be free though in little to no time at all." He saw the effect that his words had on her and added, "I'm sorry, Lil."

"He can't be free. He tried to kill us. He sent that man after us. And A can't get out. He can't." She was processing it all and coming to no logical conclusion as to why any of this was happening.

Mirov reached over to her and pulled her into a rare hug. "I'm so sorry. I promise you though, that he will never hurt you. I won't let him get to you."

"He got to you though. How did it happen?" She leaned back and pointed at the bruises.

"Ezra has a group that he employs down here, mercenaries. One of them managed to scale the wall. She got into my room, so she somehow managed to figure out the layout of the house. Luckily, I have some skills of my own." Lil moved away from him back to her seat.

"What happened to her?"

"I broke her neck." He said the words as though they were natural. Lil shuddered a bit with the knowledge that the man sitting across from her had killed someone while she slept. There were many things about the situation that were worrisome.

"How do you know that Ezra sent her?" Lil gripped the sides of the chair worried about the prospects of someone else getting in and finding her instead.

"She said that Ezra sent his regards." He leaned down to her then and made eye contact. I know their methods now, Lil. They've pulled this sort of thing before. They went after you when you were very young. I had to learn how to keep them in check. This is just another one of those times."

Lil once again had to process the information. _This happened before? How?_ "You said I was safe here."

"You are." He sounded certain.

"What happened before, when I was younger?" She watched him, wondering if he would blow off the question.

"They took children from the homes that your mom was using for your daycare. She rotated from one place to the next. She thought she was keeping them from finding you. It was a brief period in her life when she thought that she could get away from it all. She quit her job and was living somewhere out near Albuquerque. I kept tabs on her back then and always. I thought that I would be able to quit doing their bidding once she got away. It had been months and none of them had managed to send me a photo of either of you. I had to assume that they had lost track of you both."

"They were watching us," Lil asked even though she knew about it from Nanna B's story.

"Yes. It was easy for them since your mom worked for Crowley. That man had horrible taste except for where your mother was concerned. He hired Ezra's boys as part of his goon squad. I'm still not sure how Megan fit into his plan. I imagine that Ezra made him hire her. I'll likely never know though." He looked away from her back out to the bright window. He got up and walked over to it. "She had you in several different daycare facilities in Albuquerque because she knew that the world was dangerous. Somehow she got it in her head that I was the dangerous one, that I was sending danger her way."

"She was afraid of you," Lil said.

The words seemed to affect Mirov. His shoulders sagged a little. "I'm sorry about that. Things would be easier between us now if only I had managed to tell her what had happened." He sighed as he pressed a palm to his eye rubbing it a bit. "Just as your mom was growing comfortable in her new home, Ezra found her. He needed her for leverage against me, so he sent his boys to her with strict instructions not to hurt her or you."

"Mom never said anything about them. They must not have found us."

"Not quite. They didn't want her to know where the threat was coming from, so they took the children of the daycare providers. They held them in a warehouse for several days. They took pictures and sent them to me, telling me that these were your daycare friends. They said that they would be killed if I didn't cooperate again."

"What did you do?"

"I cooperated minimally and waited. Then my sources told me that your mother went back to the city, back to work for Crowley. She was afraid that if she stayed away, more people would get hurt."

Lil interrupted, "But the children were okay, weren't they?"

"Eventually." He ran a hand back up into his hair. "They arrested the one that you call A. His uncle had ways of making problems disappear. The families did not cooperate with law enforcement, and all of the charges were dropped. I imagine that the same thing has happened now too, except he has gotten to the jury."

"Why didn't my mom try running away better?"

"I believe that she was threatened more directly. I believe that she knew that she couldn't get away from them, so she just chose to stay close. You know, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Like I said before, Brady has always known how to get to people, how to make them do his bidding. He likely had many ways to keep your mother in check."

"I bet that is why she started working with dad. I bet she thought that he could help."

"Maybe."

"No maybes about it. She and dad worked together and talked about the dangers a lot. Cas was working with her to get them all locked up."

"Well, fine bit of good those efforts did." He noted the way that her look shifted with his words and added, "Sorry. I know that you care for that man a great deal, and I know that he wanted what was best for you despite his inability to provide it."

Lil wanted to defend him, tell her grandfather all of the many things that made her dad so amazing, but she held back. It would do nothing to change his opinion anyway. "Mom tried to run away again."

"I know. She took you to Mexico, got a little sun on her skin, and thought that she could make it stick."

"You came to me and talked. Why didn't you tell her then about the dangers and who you really were?"

"I couldn't convince her that she needed to come with me. There were other issues then too."

"What do you mean? What could be more important than getting us somewhere safe?"

Mirov looked like the question upset him. He closed his eyes a moment before answering. "Your mother was dying. She had a heart condition. She was getting treated through an arrangement that she had with Crowley. She considered leaving, yes, but it never would have stuck. She needed what they had. She needed to live too. I had nothing that I could offer to her, no treatments or hope. I could protect her from them, but not from her heart. She wouldn't even consider letting me take you; although, I offered the option."

"Crowley wouldn't help her if she left, if she came to live with you?"

"He couldn't help her if she left. He's under Brady's thumb. He'd love to be top dog in this, but Brady has him leashed. Not sure what Brady has on him, but it must be huge. Regardless, your mom went back, and I complied with all of Brady's demands. His boys asked for increased outputs on the drug Alpha, and I made it happen."

"You stopped sending them stuff now, right?"

"I stopped the moment I had you here. Brady stopped getting my research, and his nephew stopped receiving Alpha. They likely didn't notice while they were dealing with their legal troubles."

"But now that Brady is out, he has noticed, and he sent someone here to deal with you?" Lil wondered if they would get to her grandfather eventually. _If they got into the house, couldn't they do that again?_

"Yes, he has noticed. And he will pay for his reaction." Mirov's hands curled into fists at his sides.

"And I won't be going to school until he has been dealt with?"

"Maybe. I haven't decided yet."

"I'll fall behind. I won't be able to keep up." She stepped up closer to his side. "I'll be even more of an outcast than I already am."

"You'll survive. I'd rather have you safe than anything else. For now, you stay here. I'm going to station a guard at your door. You will be escorted even here by your guard. Do not go anywhere alone."

She felt the weight of the decision. "Yes, grandfather." She focused on the rug, the flowers swooping around in the design.

He set a hand gently on her shoulder and said, "Soon enough, it will be over, and you'll get to go back to school. Trust me. I know what I'm doing." He let his hand slip away, and then he marched off out of the room. He stopped in the hall and with an economy of words sent in a guard to hover until she too was ready to leave.

* * *

It should have been a dream, a thing that one could wake from when the intensity became too much. It wasn't though. It was real and all too painful. He thought that the bleeding would have stopped by now. He tied off a strand of cloth high on his thigh, wincing with the pain of it. _She was safe though. That's all that mattered,_ he thought to himself.

They had followed the plan. Eli had said to give it a few weeks, so they gave it a few weeks. Routines were established. Lil started school. She seemed to be doing well enough. Dean kept watch from a great distance, not frustrated at all by the situation. They came up with a specific day, and even arranged it with Gabe. Everything was in motion.

Dean had called Cas via Gabe to bring him up to speed. They were quite ready. Then, things went wrong. And now he was bleeding in the middle of a too hot space filled with overgrown tangles of trees, Lil shaking and frightened by his side. And now he needed to get Lil to the plane that was too far away. And now they were being pursued. There was no time to really stop, yet here they were, losing whatever distance they had gained.

Lil wasn't speaking. Once again her life was hurtled into something frightening. Dean reached out to her, but she backed away from the blood on his hand. He felt sorry for having scared her. She stepped back to him a moment later and settled a hand on his shoulder, looking a little less scared like she had found some hidden reserve of strength that no child should have to have. He could feel the dizziness taking over. The edges of his vision were blackening. The last thing he heard was Lil saying, "Don't die, Dean. Please don't die."

* * *

Cas still did not feel like he had gotten home. The short sojourn into Jacksonville had been nice though. His mother had been quiet for most of the journey and that had made the car ride rather awkward. Gabe had tried his best to add a level of mirth and frivolity to the journey. In the end they opted for the radio as a means of filling the space and time. For her part, Naomi pretended to sleep in the back. Cas knew that she was awake, but he was grateful for the effort.

They chose to stay at Cas' cabin, which Gabe had paid for through the end of the year. He had even gone so far as to cover the furniture with sheets. They pulled up to the front and moved their bags inside. The drive there had been a grueling fourteen hour stint and they were all feeling the effects of it. Naomi asked where each of them would sleep, and Cas directed her to Lil's room. She wandered into it and closed the door behind her. It seemed like the best place for her. He offered the pull-out couch to Gabe. "Or you could take the trailer; although, I don't know how it was left."

"I had it cleaned, and that friend of yours has been watching over the place." Gabe set his bags on the piano bench and tossed himself down on the couch. The sheets covering the couch belched up a little puff of dust around his body.

"You have Carter watching over the place?" Cas felt weird about that. It wasn't like they had had a falling out or anything. It was just strange having him as the one taking responsibility for something like this.

"He wanted to do this. He had been out with Dean looking for both you and Lil when everything went to Hell.

"I just don't like having people feel responsible for me when they shouldn't." Cas kicked at the edge of the coffee table a little as he stood there.

"Cas, you really don't get a say in that. We all love you and Lil. We all want to do what we can to help. I don't really know Carter, but he seemed like a good guy, so I let him do this. People feel better when they get to help." Gabe tipped his head over the side of the couch, giving Cas an upside down stare. "You feeling okay?"

Cas leaned a bit on the cane that he was using. "I feel better than when we were in the car. I'll likely need to sit down again though. This is the most activity I've had outside of physical therapy." He moved slowly toward the plush chair that he had in the corner. When he got to it, he allowed himself the luxury of falling into it. The move was not so graceful, but it worked.

"I could've helped you."

"Yeah, but it's kinda nice to do things for myself." His muscles felt tight and his head was pounding. _Too much to think about._ He settled the cane on the wall next to him. "What's the plan?"

"I don't have to be back to work for two more days, so you tell me. You got stuff you need to do here?"

"I don't even know where I'd begin. I mean, I just sort of disappeared from here. I can't imagine that there'd be much that I would need to do here." Cas wondered if he should talk to Missouri and Adam, or if he should check in with Pamela.

"People here were worried about you. Checking in with them would be a kindness. You don't have to though. I mean, you've had a lot to deal with. No one would expect it." Gabe sat up and folded his hands in his lap. He smiled at Cas then and said, "Now, not to be ridiculous, but I'm starving, and I know for a fact that you have nothing here. What do you say we trek into town for a late dinner?"

Cas pulled out his phone and checked the time. "We'll have to hurry. The diner will only be open for another half hour." Gabe got up and helped Cas to his feet.

"Come on old man."

"Gee thanks." Cas moved off to Lil's bedroom. He gave the door a slight knock and entered. Naomi was standing at the dresser, looking at all of the little pictures stuck into the frame of the mirror that hung over it. He and Dean had added them to her room one day while she had been at school. "Mom."

She turned to him and swiped away a stray tear that was on her cheek. "Yes." She turned away from him.

"You okay?" He walked in and settled a hand on her arm.

"I'm fine. I just never let myself believe that you had a whole life here that I never knew about. I just feel…" She stopped talking and looked at him. He looked from her to the pictures and pulled one out. It was Lil at Christmas, her face one giant smile. She was surrounded by Christmas wrapping paper and a few presents. Dean was resting his head on hers all smiles as well. She was rolling her eyes up toward him to see him better. It was a funny image, and represented so much of what he loved about them. He handed the picture to Naomi.

"This is my little family. You'll meet them when Dean comes home." He noticed how she traced the edges of the picture with her fingers. It was easier to accept her in his life when she was more accepting herself. He took her hand then. She pulled him into a hug.

"I look forward to meeting them." Her words were spoken into his hair. He felt himself smile despite the fact that she had been so difficult before. He knew that he should spend time here, reconnecting with his old friends and family, but he didn't want to do that. He wanted to be closer to where Dean and Lil would be, the moment that Gabe brought them home. He also wanted to slowly work up to convincing Gabe that he needed another passenger on the plane for this mission.

He had broached the subject before, but Gabe had brushed him aside, saying, "Dean would have my head. He doesn't want you anywhere near the danger zone. So you going is a no go."

Cas had tried arguing, but realized quite quickly that he needed to just bide his time, chip away at Gabe, and eventually he'd be on the plane. It was after all a reasonable request. If it was safe enough for Dean, Lil, and Gabe, then it was safe enough for him too.


	6. We'll See How Brave You Are

It was early in the morning and Cas felt the weirdness of the time. He sat out on his porch with his cup of coffee, another steaming away at his side. It would be easy enough to imagine that no time at all had passed, that he had been living in Jacksonville this whole time. It was easy enough to imagine that Lil was still safe, tucked up in her bed. It was easy to imagine that Dean was inside, making breakfast, grumbling about being up at dawn.

Cas stared off at the trail that wound around the shoreline. He could see Carter's form bobbing along the path. He wondered if he knew that they were here. It had been months, so Cas also wondered how awkward it would all be. Much of their relationship had become awkward toward the end. They had managed civility and casual conversations. Those strides were important as Carter was Lil's teacher at the time.

He took a sip of his coffee and then balanced the warm mug on his knee. An early morning breeze blew over the water. The smell of morning mixed in with the earthy smell of the coffee. He felt more awake now, yet also less capable of imagining. Everything was different now, and this place was riddled with memories of loss that kept him up at nights and anxious during the days.

Carter seemed to have seen him, or at least the car parked in front of the place. He picked up the pace and would arrive winded and panting in just moments. Cas stood so as to be seen, raised a hand as a shield to the sunlight bouncing off the lake, and then gave a little wave.

When Carter finally got to him, he stood a few feet away sucking in great lungfuls of air to compensate for the faster run. Cas just grinned at him. He hadn't changed. His hair was still just a little too long, but it caught the sunlight in a way that made it all the more attractive. He had been getting more sun, apparently, because he was much more tanned than he had been before. He also, clearly, had stepped up the exercise, his calves looked far more toned than before, not that he was ever actually lacking in that department. It was easy to remember why he had been drawn to him. Carter took a tentative step toward him. "Cas."

"Hello, Carter." Cas decided that the guy that searched for his daughter and apparently had been watching over his meager belongings for months deserved a hug. He stepped up to him and wrapped his arms around him. Carter hugged him back, dipping his head down into the crook of Cas' shoulder. He let him go and then stepped back to the porch to sit. The few moments spent hugging him was about all he could do without the cane. Cas lifted the second mug of coffee and handed it to him.

"You're back. Is Lil with you?" He glanced back at the front door and took a seat with Cas on the step like they used to do.

"No, she's still with her grandfather in Brazil. Dean's working on that."

"So Dean isn't with you?" Carter's question didn't have the same lingering hope that it used to contain. Now it was a genuine question that was just for information.

"No, he's been in Brazil since I was in the hospital here. We've spoken, and he has a timeline that includes returning home with Lil by September." Cas took a drink from his coffee. Carter did the same with his.

"Have you seen Garth or Missouri yet?"

"No, we got in pretty late. I'll check in with them today before we leave for the city." Cas felt Carter's muscles stiffen up a little at his side.

"You're really heading back there, closer to the bastards that did all of this?" He set the mug down on the step between his feet. "What're you thinking?"

Cas took a deep breath and said, "I'm thinking that I need to be close to the trial, to help if I can. I'm also thinking that I need to be close to those that are going to help me get my family back. Gabe is going back there, and he's the one that will be flying Dean and Lil home."

"I get that, but I've been following the trial and it isn't looking good. Brady might get off." The door behind them opened with a bit of a squeek.

Cas turned and saw his mom hovering behind them. "Hey mom." He turned to Carter who was getting up and said, "Mom, this is Carter. He's a friend. He used to be Lil's kindergarten teacher."

She reached out a hand to him and said, "I'm Naomi." She leaned against the door frame a little. "Your friend Gabe is on the phone with Sam. It sounds pretty intense."

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure. Figured I'd come out here and let you know." Naomi stepped aside as Cas and Carter moved into the house. Gabe was an animated individual on most days, but apparently his conversation with Sam was amping up the energy even more.

"Look, Sam. This can't be over. I mean, they're gonna deliberate for at least a couple of days."

There was a pause and he looked over at Cas. "Is everything okay?" Cas whispered.

"Just a sec, Sam." Gabe angled the phone away for a moment. "Sam said that the jury is deliberating now and that word leaked out that they are going to announce the verdict on Monday."

"Today's Sunday. When did they start deliberating?" Cas could feel everything shrinking in around him.

"Friday. They've been sequestered the whole time too. I'm not sure if they are fast because of that or something else."

"You mean, you think that someone might have gotten to them anyway?" Cas sat on the couch and the others sunk into seats around the room.

"Yeah, I'm gonna put Uriel on it as soon as I'm off the phone. I'll see if he has noticed any suspicious activity with the families." Gabe started talking into the phone again, "Yeah Sam, I think we'll be home tonight. Should we swing by your place first?"

Cas looked from his mom to Carter. "It's troubling if the verdict comes back fast in this case because it isn't simple. We're worried that Brady has gotten to the jurors. A Friday to Monday deliberation just seems absurd."

Naomi asked, "If they say he's innocent, what then?"

"He goes free." Cas pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes and focused on the pressure that it created. "Worse than that, he can never be tried for these crimes again."

Gabe hung up as a gravel crunching sound rolled in from outside. A police cruiser was sitting right in front of the porch. "Sam wants me back tonight. He said he'd meet up with us at the apartment."

They all watched the door as first Missouri and then a uniformed Garth walked into the house. "Well, I can't believe my eyes. Am I seeing this right Garth?"

"I think so." Garth stood at her side.

"They can't be here though. They would've called us or something." Missouri had her hands on her hips, elbows angled out for maximum effect.

Cas got up and, still ignoring his cane, moved to her. He gave her a hug and said, "We just got here, and sadly, it looks like we'll be leaving right now too. I intended to come into town and see you though."

She let him go and said, "I'm glad to see you're awake and mobile. Last I saw, you were not doing so well."

He moved to Garth and gave him a hug next. "I see you filled Dean's position?" He stepped back, and they laughed.

"Temporary, just temporary. I'm guessing Dean'll want the job back as soon as he gets home." Garth gave Cas a little slap on the back. Cas had to sit down again.

Missouri sat across from him on the piano bench. "Are you okay, Cas?"

"I'm getting there."

"What about Lil and Dean?" Garth asked.

"Dean says that they'll be home in September. I'm doing my best to hang onto that." Cas looked up at his mom and Gabe who were hovering. Carter was leaned up against the counter by the kitchen.

Gabe had his phone out and appeared to be typing something into it. "So, I told Uriel the worry. Asked him if he could do some sleuthing. I'm gonna message Donna too. Two sets of eyes on this are likely better than one."

"Sounds reasonable." Cas turned to Missouri then. "How's Adam?"

"He's fine. It's like nothing ever even happened to him." She reached over and settled a hand on his knee. "I haven't heard from Dean in months. Is he actually okay out there?"

Cas had spent countless hours pretending not to worry. He had done his best to push aside all of his thoughts on how wrong all of this could be. He told himself time and again, _Lil is just with her grandfather_ , rather than Lil was kidnapped and I don't know what to do. He told himself, _Dean is just going to pick her up and bring her home,_ rather than Dean is going to enter a heavily armed compound in Brazil and could be killed. He felt his heart pounding out a rhythm of fears in his chest as he finally made eye contact with Missouri. "I don't know if he's okay."

"What do you mean?" She asked gently.

"I mean, he could say that everything is fine, which he does. He could say that he has it all under control. He could make it all seem like it is routine, no big deal, but it is far from simple. Mirov won't let Lil go without a fight. The men that he has working for him are going to do everything in their power to keep Lil exactly where she is. Dean's up against too much, and if I think about it too much, I'll just crack. I'm barely muddling through each day as it is."

He felt a cool hand press affection into his shoulder. "We've got your back sweetie. Whatever may come."

He looked up at Naomi as she stood there, stoic in the face of what was to come, her hand still on his shoulder. "I don't know what I'll do if anything happens to them." It was the first time that he had really voiced his fears.

Gabe interrupted, "Uriel just texted back." He came over and sat on the couch. "Apparently, he was already looking into the juror situation. He's concerned. He said that he and Donna already unearthed some things that were weird." Gabe paused and scrolled a bit. "He said that some family members of the jurors went missing only to return not long after. This was two, maybe three, days ago. Donna questioned them, but they were unwilling to share anything with her."

"We need to let the judge know. He can stop the trial before the verdict is read. Do we have evidence of jury tampering?"

"Nothing concrete. We need to get back there. I'm letting Uriel know to contact Sam and see if he can get to the judge before Monday. If we can stop this, then we've got a chance." Gabe got up and went to the other room to grab his bag. Naomi moved off to Lil's room to get hers.

"Guess you'll call right, let us know what happened?" Carter reached down and helped Cas up.

"I will."

Garth stood too. "Let me get your stuff for you. You shouldn't be moving around too much on your leg I bet."

"Thanks." Cas leaned into Carter's arm a little. They each moved out to the car in front of the house. "I can't imagine Ezra free. He can't get away with this, not again."

Missouri and Carter flanked his sides as he made his way closer to the car. Garth came out with his bag. Missouri said, "If there's any justice in this world, he won't be found innocent." She closed the door to the car after Cas slipped into the seat. Naomi and Gabe got in as well. Cas rolled down the window and Missouri cupped his face. "We'll keep an eye on things here until you can come home to us with Lil and Dean. We love you dear."

"Love ya too, Missouri." Cas threw a nod to Garth and then Carter. Gabe pulled away from the house and they were on their way back to the city. The hours ahead would feel long, but the days beyond that would be worse yet.

* * *

The days passed since her grandfather had first been attacked. She wasn't sleeping well. Any small noise would wake her up. The creaking hallway, the wind outside, the light of the moon wavering past trees, casting shadowy claws across her bed, all seemed intent on frightening her. She thought of the many ways that one could get into her room. She thought of the ease with which it had already happened to her grandfather.

Even in her dreams, she was pursued and in peril. Even in her dreams, nothing was safe. She woke in a cold sweat most nights. She would sometimes call out, and the guard would come in and offer up reassurances before retreating again to the hall. Nanna B slept in the room one night, but the sofa was not comfortable enough for her to make a habit of it.

A week in and Mirov told her over breakfast that they could try school again. He upped the security and sent her out with Eli at her side. "I believe that they need to see that we are not to be intimidated, and if they come anywhere near you, I'll have twenty men with a clear shot at them."

"You think that someone will try to attack me?" Lil had asked.

"I think that one of them will try something. You going back to school will draw them out." He looked harder now than he had in the past, like something had broken him a little. "It'll be a good thing though. You won't be alone, and we'll be able to defeat them." He gave her arm a little squeeze. Lil tried to eat the rest of her breakfast, but it was hard to do even basic things like that when you had been told that you were essentially bait.

She went to classes and made sure to keep herself in Eli's line of sight at all times. He approached her out on the play yard. "You doing okay?"

"Someone wants to kill me." She kicked some rocks and looked up at him. His face was sympathetic.

"That won't be happening. I promise to protect you."

"There's only so much you or anyone can do. If someone wants to do it, they will."

He tipped his head to the side to force eye contact. "Dean and I will be getting you out of here in two days. We can't risk you being here any longer. Your grandfather is not seeing the situation for what it is. He thinks that he has this handled, but Dean and I have been picking up on the rumors in town. We need to get you out of here like yesterday."

"I'm afraid, Eli." She could feel herself shaking. She drew her arms up to hug herself.

"I'm sorry, kiddo. I didn't mean to overshare. I just needed you to know that your grandfather isn't painting the whole picture. Yes he loves you as much as he is capable of loving someone, yet it isn't enough to do what is actually best for you. Being here, in a place where Brady still has so much influence, makes no sense. He stays here out of spite. He wanted to be able to show him that this is his now, lord it over him so to speak." Eli glanced around the yard then added, "To my way of thinking, your life is worth more than pride."

Lil reached up and gripped her necklace in her hand. She stared back at him. "I want to see Dean."

"In two days."

"I want to see him now. Is he nearby?" She felt desperate, like too much was settling in on her shoulders.

"He's watching us from the building over there." Eli nodded off to the east. "He's been there every day."

"I want to see him." She felt herself losing it a little more. She started to cry.

Eli reached out to her. "You need to try not to cry." His hand gave her a little pat and then fell away. "Please Lil."

She looked up at him and didn't stop. She decided to march off to the bathroom. It was better to be away from it all.

When she returned to class, someone else was sitting in Eli's spot. It was one of the other guards. By the end of the day though, Eli was back. Lil assumed that he had to report out about their little interaction. They drove back to the compound and Lil sequestered herself in her room, even asking Nanna B if she could just eat in there.

The night came to her quickly. She felt like time was always either moving too fast or too slow. She tried to calm her breathing. She thought about leaving. Even that prospect was scary now too. _Where would they go? What would happen to them?_ She even cared a bit about what her leaving would do to her grandfather. It was a concern that she hadn't had before. Now, though, she worried about him. She worried more about Cas though and Dean too. She knew, without a doubt, that Mirov would kill them if they got caught, just like he killed the woman in his room.

The wind kicked up outside with a low howl. The shadows of the trees danced through the room. She laid still in the bed, arms crossed over her chest. The dark lines of branches bobbed up and down in the room. They were like creatures ready to snatch her up and carry her off into the night. She closed her eyes and counted her heartbeats. One-two-three-four-five… She wondered how high she'd have to count before the dawn.

* * *

Occasionally there is light. It comes to him in short bursts. It punctuates what must be dreams. He sees the explosion first, then the frantic actions of the guards. The car tossed into the air in a bold spin after the second explosion sent him into motion. It was all likely noise and chaos, but in his memories he was hearing nothing. It was like the quiet of space. He had been focused. He knew which vehicle was hers. He knew which vehicle was Mirov's. He had noted with quick precision where the gunfire was coming from, and where he needed to seek out cover as he made his way to the vehicle that was no longer moving down the road.

Another flash of light, and he wasn't revisiting a memory. Someone was prying his eyelid back to shine a light into his eye. He couldn't fight the invasion though. He felt like nothing was working. He couldn't move his leg or speak. There were muffled noises. He was allowed to close his eyes again. In the darkness there was Lil pressed flat in the back of the car. The windows had been smashed in by one of the explosions. The body of a bloody man was unconscious or dead on top of her.

Light again, and his other eyelid was pried open. He could feel his breathing like a knife, stabbing at his chest. He couldn't feel his leg. He remembered something had happened to it. _Where am I? Why's it so bright?_ A voice pierced the confusion. "Dean. Wake up. You have to wake up."

He wanted to rest though. _I just need like four hours then I'll be good to go._ His mind turned to quieter things, and he got his rest.


	7. Plans for Nobody

They had hope as they rushed through what needed to be done. They had confidence that the judge would see reason. They had laid out the issues clearly and succinctly before presenting them to the prosecuting attorney. In the end, it amounted to nothing but agonizing defeat.

Cas sat next to Sam in the courtroom staring at the back of Brady's head like he could peer past the well-coiffed hair to the devious inner workings of the man that he had come to view as the literal devil. He made Naomi stay at Gabe's place, not wanting her to be seen by anyone as dangerous as Brady. At the time, he had believed that a mistrial would be declared, but he knew better than to give Brady anything that could be useful. Cas thought that Brady should have to work a little for knowledge about his personal life.

Cas glanced down at Sam's hands gripping the armrest of the chair. He leaned into Sam's ear. "It's gonna be okay."

Sam looked back at him. "I don't think so, Cas. I just got a weird feeling that maybe it's gonna be really bad." He turned his attention back to the front of the courtroom as the judge entered. Cas did the same. He felt a certain tightening in his chest as the judge looked down at his papers and seemed reluctant to look at the people in the room. He waved to the bailiff to usher in the jurors.

"No, oh no." Cas squeezed his hands in front of him. His words were barely a whispered bit of fear, but Sam had heard it. Sam reached out to Cas and pulled his hand over and held it. "He's not making eye contact," Cas whispered again.

Then Brady turned and looked right at him. He let the stare linger. He even winked before turning back to the front of the courtroom. Sam squeezed his hand. "No matter what, we'll figure this out."

Cas felt his breathing speed up, his heartbeat drummed away the seconds that slammed away the hope that had been there before. Every sound became distant then. It was as though he was hearing the voice of the judge from the end of a long, empty corridor. _There's no figuring this out. It'll never be over._ His mind seemed to be catapulting into oblivion. He hadn't let his mind fully process the fact that the judge had not declared a mistrial until the jury foreman stood to speak.

A sharp cry of shock snapped him out of his moment. The jury had declared Ezra Brady not guilty. They had not handed down a single guilty verdict, even on the items that seemed absolutely certain. "No, no." Sam was mumbling as each verdict was read. Brady's attorneys were already congratulating him with shoulder slaps and smiles ever widening. When the jury foreman finished, they were escorted from the room with a few words still lingering in the air from the judge. Sam and Cas sat frozen to their spots, just watching the world in front of them.

Ezra came down the aisle and stopped near them. "Don't suppose that this is over."

Sam looked up at him, but Cas just kept his focus on the courtroom in front of him. Sam let go of Cas' hand and said, "Funny, I thought of saying the same thing to you."

Ezra just smiled down at him, half menace, half something akin to joy. He said, "Great part about our legal system is that I don't have to worry a bit about any of those charges ever coming back to bite me in the ass again. You all squandered your chance, and tried to play with the big dogs." He sauntered off down the aisle and tossed back a thought for Sam, "Good luck finding work with your useless law degree after you get disbarred. I hear the job market's rough out there, especially for someone looking to make enough to support a growing family."

Sam stood then. Ezra's words were nothing casual. They were meant to provide a message for Sam. He knew that Jess was pregnant. He knew that he only had to paint the slightest picture for Sam of what he could do to a child or to a woman in her final months of pregnancy. Sam's words fell out of gritted teeth. "You come near us and you're dead."

Ezra came back to them and said, "Watch the threats Winchester. They never work out for members of your family." With that he strolled out of the courtroom with a crowd of attorneys flanking him. Most of the audience had already left, but some had lingered. One was Deveraux.

He moved over to their side, his mess of crazy hair and thick glasses created a picture of the conspiracy theory believing man that he actually was. "Guess we all should be prepared for the defamation of character civil suits that he's likely going to levy at us next."

Sam snapped his attention from the back of the courtroom now. "Sorry, Frank. I can't even be sure what to tell you now."

Frank just shook his head and rolled his shoulders into a shrug. "I ain't worried about it. He's an asshole. I welcome the attention that a case like that'll bring to my little show. He won't crush me. I'm a bit worried about you lot though. He'll make good on having you disbarred."

"I already figured that. I'll be fine though. I don't have to work as a lawyer. I can write or do something in academia maybe. I don't know. I'll be fine though. I'm more concerned about the more subtle threats." Sam's hands clenched at his sides.

Cas reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "We need to be sure to get Jess to someplace safe. You too."

"We can't be traveling too much right now. She's got maybe a few weeks or maybe just a few days before the baby comes."

They meandered their way out of the courtroom, defeat hanging heavy on them. When they finally got back to Gabe's place, Jess and the others could already see the way that the wind blew. Jess got up with her hand pressed solidly to her back and met Sam halfway. He started to speak, but she just pulled him in and held on. Naomi came to Cas and rested a hand on his arm, giving him a little squeeze of comfort. Gabe and Kali were occupying the stools that sat in front of the little ledge that protruded from the kitchen area.

Gabe said, "We heard."

Kali spoke next, "I have to wonder if this will have an effect on the other case. I mean, A was caught red-handed."

"Guilt or innocence has no bearing on what the verdict will be." Cas ran a hand back up into his hair, thoroughly messing it up before continuing. "We've seen today what Ezra is capable of accomplishing."

Sam was holding Jess in a way that seemed to be shielding her from the room or from anything that might get into the room. He had his hands wrapped around her, and she was pulled as close to him as her belly would allow. "I think maybe we do need to leave."

Cas came over to his side. "Where would you go?"

"Somewhere that he can't find us." Sam's quick reply showed just how much Ezra's words had gotten to him.

"What happened?" Jess asked.

"He made sure that he got in just one more little comment. He's got me pinned." Sam let Jess go and proceeded to pace the room. His phone went off in his pocket. He pulled it out. "What the hell?"

Sam held out the phone to Gabe, and Gabe repeated him, "What the hell?"

Cas moved to him and looked down at the screen in Sam's hands. Crowley's name was on the screen. "What the hell?"

"Do I answer it?" Sam looked from one to the next.

"Uh, yeah. It's a little too coincidental that he's calling just after that verdict, and he's no fan of Ezra's," said Cas.

Sam answered and held the phone in a way that allowed Cas to listen at his ear. "Hello."

"Sam, this Crowley." There was a pause as if he was trying to decide how best to proceed. "I'm actually calling to speak with Cas. Is he with you?"

"He is. What do you want with him?" Sam replied and side-eyed Cas to see if he wanted to have the conversation.

"I feel like the verdict today may be problematic for the both of us. I'd like to discuss it with him. I would also welcome a conversation with you as well, but at a later date."

Sam covered the phone a little and leaned it away. "Do you want to talk with him?"

"Might as well." Sam handed him the phone then. "Crowley," Cas said.

"Good. I hoped you might be willing to chat."

"I'm not in the mood, but today is already rather shitty, so I might as well have this conversation too." Cas moved over to the couch to sit. His legs were getting stronger, but he could feel them shaking a little from all of the activity of the day and the present standing.

"I thought that we had already managed to bridge the anger gap here. I'm not the enemy, remember?" Crowley sounded a little put off, and Cas rolled his eyes.

"I think that you are far from being one of the good guys, but you're certainly not Ezra Brady. Now, what do you have to say to me?"

"Well, right to the point then. I think that Ezra will go after Mirov. I think that he'll send his lawyers after you and Sam, but that'll just be his own petty revenge for the past couple of months. What he has going with Mirov is the more worrisome."

Cas felt his chest tighten up with worry. "Why do you think he'll go after Mirov?"

"Look, you all did a lovely job of uncovering some of his many dark dealings, but you have really only seen the smallest portion of what he has done, what he's capable of doing." Crowley let out a pointed sigh into the phone and continued. "He had Mirov conducting some research. It was something that he would market. It was going to make him boatloads of cash. When he got arrested, Mirov stopped sending him the research. As you likely already heard, I've been named the CEO of Niveus which was formerly Niveus and Stiel Pharmaceuticals. Ezra's legal troubles made him too much of a liability."

"Does this mean that he's no longer in power at all?" Cas asked.

"Well, that's where it gets complicated. You see, he's already been in contact with me. I've been encouraged to step aside."

"Oh, what does he have on you?"

"Nothing I care to share. Let's just say that I will stall as long as I can, but that my leaving will be inevitable. I'd be happy though, if you lot figure out a way to make Ezra's life a little painful in some capacity."

"So, he wants to get you out of the CEO slot, and he wants to threaten Mirov back into research mode?"

"Yes."

"Pretty sure he can't get to Mirov."

"Pretty sure he can," Crowley sounded confident.

Cas thought of all of the reasons to worry over Ezra getting anywhere near Mirov's place. "Does he have anything to hold over Mirov? I mean how will he get him to work for him?"

"He would have to get to Lil. That's likely the only way that Ezra would have any chance with Mirov at this point." Cas felt his stomach drop with the pronouncement.

"You knew about him taking Lil?"

"Yeah. I keep tabs on the important things."

"You think Ezra's going to go after Lil then?" Cas asked, already knowing the answer.

"I believe that it'll be the first thing that he'll do."

"Why? He doesn't need anymore money. He could do nothing for the rest of his life. I don't get this."

"It's not about the money." Crowley adopted a tone that said he was talking with an idiot. "It's never been about the money. Ezra is an angry, bitter man. He likes power and what he can do with it. He likes crushing people. Sometimes I think that he just hates people in general. For him, it is about the manipulations. Yes, he wants to get Mirov's research so he can make a ton of money that he doesn't need, but he also just wants to make Mirov do something that he doesn't want to do. Same with me too. Ezra's a sadistic bastard, but he knows how to look like something respectable."

"So, tell me what I can do. Give me something to use against him."

"I don't have anything that you can use against him. I just have advice."

Cas was feeling frustrated, but he asked anyway. "Great. What's your advice?"

"I won't repeat this, and I'll deny it to the bitter end. As long as Ezra is alive, no one that has ever crossed him will be safe."

"That's not advice, that's just a statement of fact."

"Like I said, as long as he's alive." Crowley stopped then and waited for Cas to pick up the unspoken implication.

Cas picked it up. "I have no way of accomplishing anything on that front."

"I know, but maybe someone else might. It's literally the only way."

"Who are you suggesting?"

"I have no contact with Mirov, nor can I get in touch with him without it being noted. Before, I had A and Al hovering, watching my every move. I played it off like they were my henchmen, but they had a different purpose. They watched me for Ezra. Now, though, he has others that keep me in check. I had to ditch them rather cleverly this afternoon in order to make this call. I'll likely pay the price later if they tell him." Crowley took a deep breath and continued, "You need to get in contact with Mirov. Impress upon him the need to take out Ezra. He'll do it for Lil. She was the reason that Ezra got what he wanted for so long, her and also M."

Cas felt the sickness stirring up inside of him. He had no way of contacting Mirov. If he had, he would have as soon as he was conscious. He knew where he was located. He knew that Dean was about to get Lil back. He knew that it was all going to go to Hell soon. At any moment, events would unfurl that would make Mirov hate him even more than he likely already did. Asking him to kill Ezra would accomplish nothing. _Still._ He looked up at Gabe and noted how they all were watching him, picking up on just the one half of the conversation. "I'll see what I can do."

"It'll likely be impossible, but here's to hoping. I mean, he hates Ezra as much as we do." Crowley sounded a little hopeful.

"Like I said, I'll see what I can do." With some hesitation Cas said goodbye and hung up. _What have I just agreed to?_ He knew it was likely the only way that any of them would ever be safe. He looked at Gabe, and decided that they would need to make the trip to Brazil. He hoped that Gabe would not make this difficult. He had to be the one to do this. If anyone else asked it would fail. He also needed to talk with Dean.

* * *

The next night there was thunder. It rattled the windows and made her feel like demons were growling for her in the night. When she awoke the next morning, it was to a knock at the door. She called out that whoever was knocking that they could come in. Eli pushed open the door and asked, "May I come in?" before he moved more fully into the room.

Nanna B had gone off ahead of her to get her book bag together. Lil had left it in the dining room the night before. "Yes." She stepped aside and Eli came in.

"I need you to stay close to me at all times today. I've noted some things that have seemed strange." He stood near the door, imposing in his stance. "Today, you must be extra conscious of your surroundings."

"Maybe we should just stay here today." Lil felt the crawl of nerves up her back.

"Wish we could darlin' but I don't have anything more than a feeling to go on regarding the situation. I spoke with your grandfather, and he said to just make sure that nothing happens to you." He glanced up at the cameras and then back at her. "I told him that I would be discussing our plans for today before we got going." He glanced at the camera again and then back at her.

"I understand." She moved past him to the door and added, "Thank you, Eli. You always make me feel safer." They moved out into the hall together and toward the dining room. Nanna B was standing off to the side of the room, holding the bag. Mirov was at the table, reading a newspaper. Eli took up a spot next to the door and pretended to look off out the window. Lil took her seat at the table. "Good morning, grandfather."

"Good morning, Lilith." He used her more formal name sometimes when others were around, likely hoping that they would treat her more formally too. It would never feel anything but odd. "Eli spoke with you about the need for extra vigilance?"

"He told me to remain at his side and to be conscious of my surroundings." Lil looked back at him and then returned her attention to her grandfather. "Eli makes me feel safer."

Mirov looked over toward Eli, "Thank you." His words felt forced. He returned his attentions to his newspaper and coffee.

Lil made an effort to eat her breakfast. Periodically, she looked out the window at the patchy sky. Mirov had only been back home for one night. He had been 'traveling.' At least that was the vague bit of information that she had been given. "Did you have a nice trip?" Lil asked.

He lowered his newspaper. "I did not accomplish what I set out to accomplish." Lil just waited for him to explain. He never told her why he was gone, just that he was. "I did manage to send a message to our enemies though. Sadly, I couldn't send a more permanent message."

"What did you do?" Lil set down her spoon and gave up on the cereal in front of her.

"I sent one of my people into Ezra's home to let him know that I had received his message." Mirov paused, took a deep breath and continued, "He has good security."

It had been ten days since the attack. It was also September, and Eli had said that she'd be going home soon. Fear was no small thing. It was a constant scratch at the back of her neck. She felt the hands that might grab her and pull her off into the darkest of nights. She felt the hot breath on her cheek as the slow slide of a blade pierced her skin. She knew fear in a deeper sense, having experienced so much that was worthy of fear. For a moment, she thought about not going to school. She could convince her grandfather if she tried. It wasn't like he was much of a fan of the institution. He did want to draw out his enemies though, and she was bait. Then she thought of Dean. He couldn't save her if she stayed in the compound.

She got up from the table. "I'm ready."

"You haven't eaten anything." Mirov stared steadily at her.

"I'm not hungry." She moved to Nanna B's side and took her bag from her outstretched hand. Eli looked like he was ready to leave with her.

Mirov got up and approached her. He looked to Nanna B and Eli and said, "Would you two give us a moment?" They stepped out into the hall. He came down to her level and balanced there. He set his hands on her shoulders and said, "We won't let anything happen to you."

She wanted to say so many things then, but instead she kept quiet until he continued.

"I've spoken with Eli. You will never be alone or in any dangerous places. I promise you that I've seen to your safety. You really have nothing to fear." He sounded sincere, his words a breath of air between them.

"If someone wants to kill me, then they will." Lil moved like she was going to break contact and just go.

Mirov tightened his hold on her, but not in a menacing way. He said, "They wouldn't dare to kill you. They know that you're the only thing that I care about anymore. If they killed you, they'd have nothing over me."

She gazed steadily at him, not sure if she was supposed to feel comforted by this. "So, they just want to kidnap me to torture you. That's not better."

"They won't get you. I promise." He held the gaze a little longer.

Before he stood back up, Lil said, "Let me call Cas."

He stood. "Why?"

"I want him to know that I'm okay. I want him to know that he shouldn't worry about me. I want him to just worry about himself." When she finished speaking, she held her breath and waited for his response.

The look on his face shifted minutely. "I will have to do a little research to find his number."

"I know his number." Lil tried not to look too excited by the prospect.

"When should we call him?" He looked a little hesitant.

"Now."

"Hmm." He pulled out his phone and tapped in a number. He then handed it to her. "Go ahead and dial his number. I put in the first numbers."

She took the phone and looked down at the numbers that he had typed in. She added the rest, hoping that it would work and that he would still be in possession of this phone and number. She hit send and waited as it rang, once, twice, three times. A voiced graveled out, "Hello." She recognized it at once, but didn't have words. "Hello," Cas repeated.

"Dad," she finally whispered into the phone. Mirov sat down and watched her.

"Lil? Lil?" He said it twice like he couldn't believe it.

"It's me. I'm okay." She felt the sudden need to reassure him.

"Lil." He said it again, and he sounded like he was crying. "Where are you?"

"I'm with my grandfather at his home." She noticed the way that he became quiet all of a sudden.

"I had hoped that you were somewhere else, somewhere closer to home." They both fell silent for a moment. "I wish you were here. Are you okay?"

"I am. I heard that you were in a hospital, and at one point I thought that you were dead."

"Not dead," he said. "I was injured when Al attacked me. We fell from a window in the bank downtown. He did not make it. I did. Dean told me that he searched for you everywhere when you left the cabin. I'm so proud of you for remembering the escape plan."

"I was found though." She had often felt like she had failed him when she had been found by Mirov.

"A didn't find you though." Mirov shifted about a little across from her. "Has your grandfather been kind to you?"

"Yes. I want to be with you though." Mirov shifted a bit more in his seat. "Dad?"

"I will get you back Lil. I will do whatever it takes." His emotion was heavy in his voice.

"I don't want you to get hurt. I heard about the trial. Will you be careful?" She worried that he might focus so much on getting her back that he'd forget to watch out for himself.

"I don't want you worrying about me. I'm always careful. Are you being watched over properly? Do you feel safe?"

She didn't know how to answer him. "Grandfather has a lot of security. I'm never alone." Mirov stood then and took the phone from her. "No. You have to let me say goodbye. You have to let me tell him that I love him." She started crying, and she thought that she might not be able to stop.

"Calm yourself, Lilith. I'll only speak with him for a moment, and then you can say goodbye before you go to school." She took a few gulped breaths.

"Mr. Novak. This will not be a habit, but Lilith needed to know that you were okay. I would like to reassure you that she is also okay and always will be." There was a pause where he just listened. "I'm afraid I won't be considering that. You are not her father, and this call would not have been made had I not felt as if I owed you something. You did care for her when I couldn't. I do appreciate your effort. She is home now though, and your services are no longer needed." He listened again and then said, "Where you are will never be safe." He listened again. "That is not something that I need to discuss with you, but yes, I was responsible for the recent failed attempt on Ezra's life."

Lil looked over her shoulder to the hall and saw Eli standing there clearly listening. He gave her a slight nod, and she turned her attention back to her grandfather and the conversation that he was having with Cas. The last thing that he said was, "Perhaps, I can allow that. It would have to be here though. It might also be better if it occurred after I settled things with Ezra." He looked down at Lil and said, "We will need to continue this conversation later. Lilith wants to say goodbye before she heads off for school." He handed the phone to her and took his seat at the table again.

"I love you, daddy." She waited for his voice and felt herself shaking a little with the emotions that threatened to consume her.

"I love you too, munchkin. I might get to see you soon. Your grandfather said, that we might be able to arrange something." He paused and she read something in the silence. Eli had said that Dean would get her home soon. Cas had to know about that.

"How is Dean?" She wanted to read into the answer. She hoped that he could tell her something.

"He's been traveling. He misses you too. He said that he'd be home in September though. I'm looking forward to seeing what he brings home from his travels." The silence stretched again, and she felt herself smile minutely at the hope that was in his tone. He would not travel to Brazil, but she would travel to him. Her grandfather stood now and made a motion with his hand to encourage her to wrap up the talk.

"I have to go. I don't want to be late to school." She didn't want to hang up. She waited.

"Talk to you soon. I love you," Cas said.

"I love you too, so much." Lil waited for more and then the line went dead as Cas hung up. She handed the phone back to her grandfather. She moved out to the hall and took her bag from Nanna B. She made her way back to her room before she left for school. There was no special reason for her choices now, but something told her that she now had to be prepared even more for the unexpected. Eli followed her to her room and hovered in the doorway as she pulled her old backpack out of the closet. It was the one that Cas had packed for her. She transferred her school items to the old pack and slung it over her shoulders. It was heavy with her books and a lunch and also a great deal of cash and a knife in the hidden pouch at the bottom. She didn't think that she'd need it, but one could never be too careful.

* * *

The smell that greeted his nose was rich and earthy and far too much like the outdoors. He cracked his eyes open a little and closed them again to ward off the brightness of the day that was fully blanketing his face. He opened his eyes again and took in his surroundings. He was in a clean room with a big window, wide open to let in a cool breeze.

He closed his eyes and tried to collect his memories, piece together where he was and how had gotten here. He remembered the attack. He knew it was coming. He was following the caravan of vehicles as they left the school. The chilled air of the day bit into him much like the breeze from the window now was calling forth goosebumps. The first shot had pierced the atmosphere and the cars were all racing away from the scene. Dean had picked up the pace, hoping that none of the shots would take out Lil's car.

She was in the third car with two more cars behind hers. Men were on the rooftops, looking down at the road that was between the buildings. They shot down to the tires, but that didn't slow up the caravan. The blast did that job. They had rigged up an explosion that shot the first car several feet up into the air. They had taken a chance with the explosives. They could have killed her. Dean believed that they didn't want her dead. Lil was worth more alive to whoever was doing this. He was certain that Brady had a hand in this.

There were additional explosions and a world of chaos and gunfire. He had made his way to Lil's car, no longer careful about being seen. He snapped out of the memory and sat up in the crisp, cool room. _Where's Lil?_ He shoved the blankets aside and wanted to toss his legs over the side to get up. His one leg though sent a sharp, shooting pain all through him with the barest movement. It was enough to make him cry out a little.

The door opened and a short brown haired man bumbled into the space. He put his hand on Dean's forehead and pushed him back down to the bed that he had been on. "You'll be okay, but you shouldn't be moving right now. Your leg needs to heal."

Dean wanted to fight him, wanted to try getting up again. "Where's Lil?"

"She's fine. Just lay down." That wasn't enough for him. He started to try sitting up again, despite the man's hand on his shoulder that was now keeping him down. Then he felt the prick of a needle in his arm, and soon enough the world was swimming in front of him before it went dark.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this. If you get bored, you can find me on Tumblr as [Spearywritesstuff](http://spearywritesstuff.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Drop me a comment or a kudos if you liked this. Thanks a bunch.


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